When Darkness Turns To Light
by lightupthesky4me
Summary: Edward is gone. Victoria is running rampant, determined to take away everything that Bella loves. Can a chance glance at an angry werewolf change everything? Takes place after the slap
1. Preface

**When Darkness Turns To Light**

_Hi everyone!__My name is Adrian and this is my first story on ! Please review! Stephenie Meyer owns all of these characters, I just like to pretend that dirty talking Paul is mine =D_

The La Push forest is a pretty scary place when you're lost and alone, especially on a cold and rainy night (though I suppose the weather tonight is not much different than any other night in my small town). The bright lightening and the crashes of thunder overhead were frightening as I tried to run through the darkened woods to save myself. It seemed pointless, her being so much faster and stronger than I was, but I felt the need to try to protect myself. Honestly, I probably should have handed myself over to her but I knew it was an instant death sentence. I ran because my imprint begged me to and because he deserved better than a life alone.

I could see flashes of red through the trees as I stumbled through the underbrush; the path I had been following had faded away and all I could see was darkness as I pushed myself past what I thought was my limit. Every few seconds the lightening lights up the forest and I can see, but mostly I am running blindly. The trees seem to be getting thinner the farther into the darkness I run. After what seems like hours of running I finally see what looks to be a light shining through the trees not too far ahead. I run towards it, hoping to find shelter from the crazy woman chasing me or at least find a way to throw her off my scent. I could hear violent growls from the woman pursuing me coming from somewhere in the trees when suddenly something grabs my arm and I stumble backwards into a tree. A branch to my left snaps. Turning, I come face to face with a pair of glowing red eyes.

"You don't know how long I have wanted to do this," Victoria hissed, grabbing me by the neck and lifting me from the ground. "I have lived in misery for over a year because of what your precious Edward did to me, taking away the only thing I have ever loved. He has wronged me and now it's _my_ turn to take away the only thing _he _has ever loved." I tried to speak, struggling in her arms, but the more I tried to speak the tighter her grip became.

Suddenly there was an ear-piercing howl followed by the sound of something huge racing towards us. Victoria's head snapped in the direction of the noise and the next thing I knew she had thrown me on her back and we were speeding through the trees at a breakneck pace. Panicked, I kept my mouth shut and silently prayed that whatever had scared Victoria was there to save me and not to hurt me like she was obviously planning to do.

We ran for what seemed like hours until Victoria came to an abrupt stop at the edge of the forest. Through my panic I could just barely make out the cliffs edge that I had jumped from just a few weeks before. Victoria grabbed me from her back and lifted me by my neck again, dangling me over the side of the cliff. My feet were dangling over the edge and I could feel the spray from the water hitting the rocks below. My heart hammering, I held on to her arm for dear life.

"Hello dog," Victoria said, facing the shadowy figure stalking towards us from the forest. "I know you want to kill me and save the girl. I just want revenge for the loss of my mate and I will do whatever it takes to get it. Unfortunately for you, that means you have a choice to make." The horse-size silver wolf stalked forward, growling viciously and showing it's terrifying teeth. "Now, I don't care if I live or die- I have nothing to live for after killing this one anyway. You, however, have a choice to make. Save the girl you love," she said, squeezing my neck harder, "or kill the vampire that has been attacking your tribe. The choice is yours, but choose quickly."

The growling increased from the silver wolf. Off in the distance I could hear the rest of the pack thundering up the hill but who knows how long it would take for them to reach us. Panicked, I locked eyes with the gray wolf and took in what I was sure would be the last memory I would ever have of the love of my life.

"Times up," Victoria said before releasing her grip on my neck and throwing me off the edge of the cliff. There was a loud, thunderous crash from up above and then everything went black.


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! I decided that I was going to update every other Thursday until I get the rest of this story written... So I hope you like this chapter! Some of you may think I jump into the story a little too fast, but don't worry... I have a plan and this is a part of it. Please review! Seriously, good or bad, the only way I can become a better writer/incorporate your ideas for future chapters is if you review! I hope you enjoy! None of these characters belong to me, I only wish that Paul did...  
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**New Moon, Chapter 14:**

_Paul twisted his head toward Jared, his lips curling back in irritation. Then he shifted his glare in my direction. Jacob took a step to put himself in front of me._

_That did it._

_"Right, protect her!" Paul roared in outrage. Another shudder, a convulsion, heaved through his body. He threw his head back, a real growl tearing from between his teeth._

_"Paul!" Sam and Jacob shouted together._

_Paul seemed to fall forward, vibrating violently. Halfway to the ground, there was a loud ripping noise, and the boy exploded._

_Dark silver fur blew out from the boy, coalescing into a shape more than five-times his size—a massive, crouched shape, ready to spring._

_The wolf's muzzle wrinkled back over his teeth, and another growl rolled through his colossal chest. His dark, enraged eyes focused on me._

_In the same second, Jacob was running across the road straight for the monster._

_"Jacob!" I screamed._

_Mid-stride, a long tremor shivered down Jacob's spine. He leaped forward, diving headfirst into the empty air._

_With another sharp tearing sound, Jacob exploded, too._

**Chapter 1:**

"Jacob no!" I yelled, trying to run after him when I was grabbed and held by two muscular arms from behind. Watching in horror, all I could see was fur and teeth as the silver and rust colored wolves attacked each other. There was nothing I wanted more than to stop them from hurting each other, but the more I struggled to get free the harder my captor held me.

"Embry, take Bella to Emily's. I need to take care of these two," Sam said, turning towards the fighting boys who had managed to take the fight from the back yard to the woods.

Laughing, Embry let go of me as soon as Sam was out of sight and began picking up scraps of clothes and shredded shoe that had been discarded in the yard. "That's not something you see every day, huh Bella?"

"Unfortunately it is something we deal with daily…. You'll get used to it, that's just the way Paul handles shit," the other boy said, coming up behind me and offering me his hand. "My name's Jared, I'm Paul's best friend. I'm sorry you had to find out this way about the pack; there's a specific protocol that's supposed to be followed… Leave it to Jake to find a way around an Alpha order," he chuckled, helping Embry pick up the pieces left behind by the boys. "Go get Sam's shoes," he called to Embry before crumbling up the scraps he had picked up and tossing them in the trash can near the end of the fence.

"You ok Bella? You don't look so good," Jared said, leaning on the truck next to me.

"Me? What about them? Why didn't you try to stop them? They could really hurt each other!" I said, the panic rushing at me as I thought of the two fighting in the forest. Instead of the guilt I half expected, my reaction was greeted with hysterical laughter from both of the boys.

"Are you serous? Jacob deserves to have a bite taken out of him for what he did to the pack! Telling you was not his place and he deserves what he gets from Paul," Jared said, shaking his head.

"Are you kidding?" Embry goaded, coming up beside us and leaning against the truck, "Jake's a natural; there's no way Paul will even leave a scratch! If anything it will be Paul coming back with permanent damage for stepping out of line."

"Paul's been fighting longer. I'll bet you ten bucks he leaves a mark."

"You're on. Jake's a natural. Paul doesn't have a prayer."

The two boys shook hands, grinning like they couldn't believe how stupid the other was for taking a sucker's bet. I tried to comfort myself, knowing that if Jared or Embry thought the fighting boys were in any serious trouble they wouldn't be joking around about what had just happened. I prayed that they would both come back unharmed, though for some reason there was a tug in my heart at the thought of any harm coming to the silver wolf.

A growling of another kind caught the boy's attention and suddenly the wolves in the forest were forgotten. "Come on Bella, let's go see Emily; she's bound to have some kind of lunch waiting. Mind giving us a ride?" Embry asked, closing in on my car door. I nodded mutely, not finding the words to say it myself.

"You better drive Embry, she looks like she's about to hurl and I've got a weak stomach," Jared said, hopping into the bed of my truck. I handed off my keys and silently crawled into the passenger seat.

We had been driving a few minutes in silence before Embry nudged my arm. "When we get to Emily's, make sure not to stare, OK? It really makes Sam mad."

"Why would I stare?" I asked, curious about what had him worried.

"Emily's scars. One of the occupational hazards of loving a werewolf," he said uncomfortably, giving me a sideways glance before turning his attention back to the road.

"And don't worry about the boys; Sam will handle them and as soon as they find themselves some new clothes they'll be back, good as new. Seriously, if there's one thing that can bring those two together it's Emily's cooking. Besides, in this pack we're a family; brothers may fight but they will always love each other and stick with each other no matter what happens."

Within seconds of pulling up to the house, a woman came out the front door to greet us. The angry red scars across her face signaled that it must be Emily, and I was thankful for the warning Embry had given me before we pulled up.

"And who is this beautiful girl?" She said, wiping her hands on the white apron that she wore and reaching for my hand to lead me into the house.

"Why Bella Swan of course!" said Embry, climbing out of the car and all but rushing to the door to beat Jared into the house.

"Paul finally told her?"

"Of course not," Jared snorted, pushing Embry out of the way and dashing into the house.

"Who then?" she asked, pulling me into the kitchen with her and placing a warm muffin in my hands as the boys started to stuff their faces with what was left on the tray in the kitchen.

"Jacob, of course" said a familiar voice coming from the other doorway in the kitchen. Paul sauntered in, heading straight for the tray of muffins, followed by Sam who was shaking his head. Sam went straight to Emily, enveloping her in his arms and nuzzling her neck, a gesture that seemed so simple yet so intimate that I had to look away. Cheeks flushed, I looked down at the muffin in my hands to distract myself from the happenings in the kitchen.

"Where's Jacob?" I couldn't stop myself from asking after I noticed his absence from the house. A low growl came from somewhere in the room and Sam shot the boys a look. "He needs some space at the moment; he went for a run to cool off until he can control his temper. That boy needs to learn to follow the rules set in place and learn not to overstep his boundaries."

"Oh."

The boys continued devouring the food at the table without signs of stopping except for Paul who caught my eye. Though it was extremely uncomfortable, the possessive way he was staring at me, I couldn't look away. His face drew me in and his eyes captivated me. I broke eye contact and looked back down at the muffin in my hand, fiddling with the paper like it was the most interesting thing I had ever seen.

The bronzed hand that was held out to me seemed to appear out of thin air, but a quick glance up showed me that it was Paul's. I hesitantly placed my hand in his and he motioned do the door. "Walk to the beach with me."

"Uh... OK?"

"I wasn't asking little girl," he muttered, dragging me out the door behind him and toward a little dirt path through the forest behind Sam and Emily's house. I tried to tug my hand out of his grasp, not liking the way he was pulling me along or the way he had spoken to me, but the harder I tried to push him away the harder and faster he pulled me behind him.

We had been walking a good ten minutes in silence before the trees started to thin out and the sound of the waves became clearer. As always, it was a cold and cloudy day, making the murky water a dark, threatening gray. I could swear that I could see a flash of red in the water about a mile out, but it must have been my imagination because Paul never said a thing about it.

"There are things I need to tell you," he started, dragging me toward a piece of driftwood on the sand and backing me into a sitting position on the log, "so just sit down and shut up until I'm finished. Then you can ask me questions or say anything you want. OK little girl? No talking."

"But..."

"No talking until I'm done"

"I don't..."

"Bella! Shut up!" He snapped, letting go of my hand and running his fingers through his hair. My mouth snapped closed and I glared at him, pursing my lips in anger. I did not appreciate his tone or the way he was speaking to me. I didn't deserve that, not from him. I was debating with myself, trying to decide if I should leave now or just wait and snap at him when he was finished talking, but he started before I had made up my mind.

"As you know, I am a werewolf. We are the wolf pack, Sam, Jared, Embry, Jacob, Seth, Leah, Quill and I," he said, pacing back and forth in the sand in front of me. I opened my mouth to ask a question, but one withering glare from Mr. Rudie Pants made me close it and glare right back. "I turned into a wolf when I was 16 and I have been one for over a year and a half now. I turned 18 a couple months ago and I am a month away from graduating high school, just like you are. I wanted to go to school to be an architect, but now that I have a responsibility to my tribe," he spit out, glaring at his shaking hands and continuing to pace before me,"I can't leave La Push. I can never leave now."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, rolling my eyes at the glare he gave me for interrupting him.

"I'm telling you this because you need to hear it from me. There are no secrets in the pack, and now that you are a member you'll be kept in the loop; you'll know all about my past whether I tell you myself or not, so its better if I tell you myself. There is this thing called imprinting. It's a fucking curse and it ruins people's lives. When one of the wolf pack sees their imprint for the first time it's like the whole world shifts and nothing means anything anymore except for the girl they imprinted on. Nothing else matters in the world except for that one other person, not family or friends, not school, not anything. It's like love at first sight but a hundred times stronger. Imprints are supposed to be cosmically made for each other; a perfect soul mate in every way. Sam thinks the point of the imprint is to mate and make the next generation of wolves stronger, but some of the elders think it's to make the wolf himself stronger. I don't know, I think it's a load of crap. I think it makes you pathetic and weak," he said, standing still and looking me straight in the eye.

"I still don't understand. Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because, Bella, I imprinted on you that day I saw you in the forest and killed that bloodsucker that was about to take a bite out of you."

"Laurent?"

"Don't tell me that was your friend," he spat, glaring at me again.

"No, not a friend. He was about out to kill me," I said, watching my words cause him to tremble again. "Wait... What does that mean? I'm your imprint? What do I have to do?"

"Nothing. You have to do nothing. Because your my imprint, I get to be anything you want me to be. A lover, a friend, or even nothing. You get whatever you want and I have to try and do anything I can to protect you and make you happy," he grumbled, sitting next to me and trying to stop the shaking in his hands.

"What about Jake?" I whispered, putting down my long forgotten muffin and watching the murky water.

"What about him?" Paul asked, popping the entire thing in his mouth and giving me a smug little smirk.

"What happened? I know he has a little crush on me, I would have to be blind not to see that, but does this mean I can't be his friend? Will he even want to be mine?"

"Little girl, I think it may be a good idea for you to spend a little time away from him. I'm not telling you not to talk to him, I would never tell you not to talk to your friend. I just think that, because this is so new to him and he doesn't know how to control his temper, it would be safer for you to give him some space for a little while. He pretty much hates me at the moment, so he may or may not take that anger out on you," he explained, stuffing the muffin paper in his back pocket.

"Why does he hate you? I thought you guys were brothers?"

"Jared told you that?" He asked chuckling, "yeah, we like to see ourselves as a big family. But sometimes when someone takes something you want, even if they don't mean to or want to, it is hard to get over. He wanted you to love him she same way he loves you; believe me, if there was a way to force an imprint he would have done it to be with you. But to have that choice taken away from him by me no less... It hurt his pride a bit. Believe me, I didn't want this. I tried as hard as I could to break it, but nothing works. I need you and it makes me sick," he said, picking up a rock from the gravelly sand beneath our feet and throwing it far into the black water.

Feeling the weight of his words hit me like a brick wall, I wrapped my arms around myself. Here was another choice taken away from me and another boy breaking my heart. Although I tried to hold myself together, I felt my eyes fill with tears as I half whimpered, "you didn't want me?"

Paul turned to look at me, studying me for a second. "To be perfectly frank, I was the last person I thought would ever imprint, let alone on a leech lover. The Cullen's are the reason that this happened to us in the first place; Vampires in the area cause the change in the men of our tribe. Because of this, I hate all vampires. For a while I hated you too, someone that loved them so desperately it literally made them sick. I thought you were weak and I couldn't stand the thought of us being soul mates. I tried for months to break the imprint, but nothing worked."

Each word our of his mouth was like a dagger to my heart. I couldn't understand why a boy I had met only a handful of times had this much of an effect on me, but it felt like the remaining pieces of my heart were shattering. Ignoring the effect his words had on me, he continued, " I kept finding myself drawn to you, running patrol by your house to keep you safe. I was even finding myself wanting to run patrol with Jake in the hope of seeing you in his thoughts, though the way he lusts after you sickens me to no end. I had finally decided to come clean with you when I saw that Jake had beaten me to the punch. I'm sorry I snapped, but I don't like people messing with things that are mine."

"I'm sorry that you're stuck with me," I said, hating myself for reasons I couldn't control.

He sighed before awkwardly taking my hand and trying to catch my eye, "I'm not. It took me a while to realize that it wasn't you I hated, it was the idea of being imprinted to someone. I hated the thought of another choice being taken away from me. When I was thirteen, my dad imprinted on a woman that wasn't my mom, running off with her and leaving mom and I behind. My mom was so heartbroken she literally drank herself to death, leaving me alone here. Sam took me in until I was old enough to live on my own. And of course you know Sam's story..."

I shook my head and he continued, "Sam and Leah were in love and engaged to be married when her cousin, Emily, came for a visit. He imprinted on her and tried to fight it, but it caused them both so much pain. After a month he gave in to the imprint and it ruined Leah. He and Emily feel so horrible about it, but it's even worse for him now that Leah's a werewolf and he has to feel what it's doing to her."

"Poor Leah," I mumble, feeling a new found sense of sorrow for the girl and guilt for ever thinking ill of her.

"Don't feel too bad for Leah... She had her heart broken, yeah, but she goes out of her way to make Sam and the rest of the pack's lives a living hell every chance she gets," he said chuckling and kicking some dirt on my shoe in hopes of lightening the mood. "Look Bella... I didn't want this, OK? After what happened with my mom, I didn't think I would ever want this... But I was wrong. The more time I spend with you the more I think this whole imprinting thing may not be so bad. You seem like a pretty cool chick, even if you do run with vampires... My wolf already loves you, of course, and I would love the chance to get to know you, but the choice is fully yours."

Before I had a chance to say anything there was an ear piercing howl and Paul snapped to attention. "Stay here, don't move. I swear to god, if something were to happen to you..." He said, taking off his shirt and running into the forest...


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! I know it's been suck a long time since I've updated and that is completely unacceptable. I don't even have a good excuse, I just didn't like where the story was trying to take me. Stress from school was giving me a serious case of writers block and I just couldn't get past it. Everything I had written just came out wrong and I didn't want to publish work I wasn't proud of. Anyway, I'm back and ready to write! I'm still a little unsure about where the story is going, but I have a general idea... Though any suggestions would be greatly welcomed! Please review!**

_**Chapter 2**_

_Previously:_

_Before I had a chance to answer there was an ear piercing howl and Paul snapped to attention. "Stay here, don't move. I swear to god, if something were to happen to you..." He said, taking off his shirt and running into the forest..._

Paul was gone maybe 30 seconds before he came running back at an inhuman speed and stopped short of me. "I need to get you out of here NOW. Hold on," he said, picking me up and cradling me in his arms as he took off towards Emily and Sam's house.

"What's wrong? Is it Jacob? Why are you naked?" I asked panicked, visions of possible reasons for alarm rushing through my head.

Glancing at me warily, Paul shook his head, "it's nothing, just a stupid vampire that's been hanging around here lately... We chase her off each time she tries to cross into our territory, but she keeps trying to find a way in. It seriously pisses me off that she's been doing this for weeks and we haven't caught her... It's weird that she keeps trying to cross the border when she knows we're waiting for her, but Sam claims the stupid red head wants something."

I gasped, knowing exactly what he was talking about, "She does want something Paul... She wants me."

I felt a huge tremor course through Paul and I was unceremoniously dropped on the forest floor about a hundred feet from Emily's house. Groaning in slight pain I watched as Paul backed away, violently shuddering in anger at the news. "What do you mean she wants you?" he seethed, glaring at me as the shaking got worse.

"She came through last year with her mate, James, and a friend, the vampire you killed in the meadow. They stopped in to meet the Cullens while the family and I were playing baseball... James saw me as a prize to be sought after once he saw how hard the family fought to protect me. He thought killing me would be the ultimate game and chased me across the country to Phoenix before finally biting me," I said, lifting my arm and showing him the cold crescent scars left behind. Paul started viciously growling as soon as his eyes locked on my wrist and was shaking so violently it was beginning to scare me.

"Your not a vampire," he seethed, continuing to back away from me and looking more angry than I had ever seen him.

"No, I'm not. The Cullens got there in time and Edward sucked the venom back out of my bloodstream while the rest of the family killed James. Victoria, the red head whose mate was killed, swore that she was going to kill me in return. A mate for a mate. I don't understand why she would still want to kill me, since Edward obviously didn't love me enough to stay and protect me, but I am the reason she is here."

That did it. Paul gave in to the change and, with a quick glance in my direction, his wolf form let out a terrifying howl and took off into the forest.

I stood stock still, staring after him and didn't even realize how long I had been standing there until Emily wrapped me in a warm shawl and ushered me into the house.

"Don't be upset Bella. Paul doesn't know how to control his temper, you did nothing wrong," she said soothingly, handing me a cup of hot tea and directing me toward one of the kitchen stools.

"Emily... You don't understand... I... It's... It's all my fault," I said shuddering, willing the tears to stop falling. Today was just so overwhelming, everything I heard and saw, my overpowering feelings for Paul and my utter sorrow and despair for being the cause of the change in these boys- men.

Emily gave me a comforting hug, letting my tears absorb into her shirt as she ran her fingers through my hair and whispered that it wasn't my fault and that everything was going to be all right. After a couple of minutes of her gentle talking she straightened up and placed a rubber spatula in my hand.

"Come on Bella," she said, pulling me from my chair and onto my feet, "we're going to make some brownies for the boys and you're going to tell me what's wrong."

Making my way to the counter with Emily and whipping up a few batches of double chocolate brownies, I spilled my guts to her. I told her all about the Cullens and how I had fallen in love with Edward. I told her about James, Laurent and Victoria coming into town and about being bitten in Phoenix. I told her about my birthday party, the paper cut, and Edward telling me he didn't love me. I told her about him leaving me in the forest with the promise that it would be like he never existed.

At this point, the brownies were done and we had moved to the family room. Emily had stayed silent throughout the entire baking time, letting me get everything off my chest and offering encouragement when I needed some to continue.

I broke down as she hugged me, "Emily I am so so sorry. God, everyone must hate me... I know I hate myself. If I hadn't been so stupid... If I had just told them to leave when I first found out about them then none of this would have happened. None of them would be werewolves... And if I had just died when I was bitten then Victoria wouldn't be here now and the tribe wouldn't need protecting... Our boys would be safe... Oh Emily, how could you ever forgive me?" I asked, blowing my nose in the tissue I found in my hand.

"Bella, none of this is your fault. The Cullens were here long before you came to town, and Sam, Paul and Jared were already shifters before you arrived. As for Victoria... It sounds like you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It couldn't be helped," she said, handing me another tissue. "Now as for the boys... They may complain about running patrols and having to protect the tribe... But think of it this way: most of these boys grew up without a big support system in their lives... In fact, some are missing one if not both parents. This pack is one of the best things that could happen to them, giving them a family and a group of people that knows them inside and out and will never abandon them. Most of them would willingly become a werewolf again if it meant that they would never have to lose this new family they have found."

"What about you, Emily? And Leah?"

"Bella, I can't say that I am happy about the way that I treated Leah... No one deserves to have their fiancé up and leave them for their cousin... But now that Leah is a part of the pack and sees into Sam's mind I think she understands a little better that we didn't do this on purpose... It was completely an accident... And although we tried to fight the attraction, fate brought us together. We were meant to be. I never would have fallen in love with such an amazing man had it not been for Imprinting. We are made for each other in every way, my strengths are his weaknesses and vice versa. We make each other whole... You'll see someday that it wasn't an accident, you and Paul meeting. He may be a challenge to deal with, but that's unsurprising given his history. He told you about his parents?"

"Yeah... I can't believe he had to deal with that... My mom left my dad when I was younger for someone else. My mom moved on and my dad never did. He still loves her... But he was so strong, staying positive with the help of his friends and the people who love him. Although my parents were never together again, I knew that they would always be there for me no matter what. Paul didn't have that... I feel so bad for him... I wanted to hug him and make him feel better when he told me, but I can't... Emily, he doesn't want this... Doesn't want me. I don't want to be the person standing between him and his happiness..."

"Bella I..."

We were interrupted by the kitchen door slamming and a stampede of rowdy half-naked men pouring from the door, panting and sweating like crazy.

"Brownies are on top of the oven," Emily called, chuckling as the boys tripped over themselves to get to the trays of desserts. Sam came straight to Emily, picking her up and settling her in his lap before burying his face in her hair.

Paul came over minutes later, brownies in hand, before settling next to me, slinging his arm around my shoulder, and offering me one. Shaking my head solemnly, he shrugged and stuffed both pieces in his mouth. He had been staring at me since the moment he entered the house and now, with me in his arms, he began to sniff my hair and brush my tears away.

"What's wrong? You fall again?" he asked, looking me over for any bruises that may not have been there before. Content that I hadn't hurt myself, he became a little more concerned, "Baby, what's wrong?"

I couldn't speak, knowing that if I did I wouldn't be able to stop myself from becoming a complete mess again.

Thankfully, I didn't have to say anything because Emily took control. "Boys, Bella was just telling me that she knows who the red head is and that she is who Victoria is after," she said, hugging Sam closer to her. I felt Paul tremble from next to me.

Sam looked straight at me for a couple of moments before speaking loud enough for everyone to hear, "Bella, we know all about the red head. I want you to know that, as an imprint, you are now a part of the tribe and we will stop at nothing to protect you. That being said, Forks isn't safe for you anymore, especially if the Cullens ever plan to come back. We need you here so we can protect you."

"What about Charlie? What about school? Where are we going to stay? I can't just live here!"

Paul growled from beside me and I caught Sam giving him the eye before turning to look at me. "Bella, your dad will be safe. In fact, your dad already knows about the tribe. As you know, he's dating Sue Clearwater..."

"Woah! Hold on a minute! My dad is WHAT? Since when?" I asked, looking around the room for signs of conformation from anyone to see them all happily munching on their baked goods.

"Your father is dating Sue Clearwater... He actually witnessed Seth phase for the first time, he knows all about the wolf pack. So it has been decided that Charlie will move into the Clearwater house and you will move onto the reservation as well. As for school, you can go to the school on the reservation with Paul and the other boys. You will have at least one of them in your classes at all times and you will be completely protected, no one will hurt you."

"Don't I get a say in any of this? I graduate in a month, why can't I just stay at school with my friends and graduate with them? This isn't fair!" I yelled, pushing Paul's hand off my knee as he tried to calm me down.

"I can transfer to forks high school," Paul said, trying again to rub my knee and let loose any built up tension.

"Absolutely out of the question. You are the pack's strongest fighter and we need you to stay on the reservation."

"I would just be a phone call away should..."

"No! You are not allowed to leave! That's an order!" Sam yelled, breathing heavily and glaring at Paul who had become straight as a board in place. It didn't escape my notice that Emily had begun to slowly back out of the room, moving as far from Sam's quivering form as the room would allow her without actually leaving. The room was completely silent, even the boys in the kitchen had stopped licking the baking pans and joking around.

"I'm not leaving Forks High School. Sorry." I said, watching Sam's angry eyes turn from Paul to myself.

"You don't have a say in this. I am the Alpha, my word is law" he said, the shaking getting worse. Paul not so subtly moved me so he was between the angry wolf-man and me.

"I don't have to listen to you, I'm not one of your boys that you can just boss around! I want to stay, so I'm going to."

Paul turned to face me with a look of pride and annoyance on his face before turning back to Sam and shrugging.

"You are pack now, and from the second Paul laid eyes on you you became my responsibility," he said, taking a deep breath and calming down a little bit. "If you went back to school in Forks I would need to split the pack up so we could protect you and the other imprints. Splitting everyone up would make us vulnerable, especially since we can't just call the boys out of a regular school any time the reservation is threatened without it looking strange. I'm not trying to keep you here because I know you want to leave, I'm asking you to please move for the safety of the pack and the tribe as well as yourself and Charlie. You can be as mad at me as you want, but I will always but the safety of my people over the wants of a person."

Sam had calmed down considerably and, after hearing the reasons behind his decision, I felt a little disappointed in myself for how bratty I had been acting. I wanted to stay with my friends, but not enough to put everyone in danger. Especially Paul. And Charlie.

"Fine. If it means that the tribe will be safe, I'll move down to La Push. What do I have to do to transfer schools?"

"My mom is the principle of the high school, she's already taking care of everything," Embry said, jumping on the couch next to me. "Your classes will start Monday."

**AN~ So? What did you think? I know I launched into the story a bit fast, but I think it needed to be done. Anyone know what her new school will be like? Have an idea for a character you would like to see? Let me know! Please review! **


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the reviews I've received! Y'all rock! I know I'm probably driving everyone crazy, not posting for months and now two posts in one week! Crazy! I wanted to give you guys another chapter as an I'm sorry for taking so long. I WILL go back to posting every other Thursday from now on and hopefully the chapters will be a bit longer from now on. ANYWAY! I know some of you won't be very happy with some of the characters introduced in this chapter, but let me know what you think. Please review!  
><strong>

**Previously on When Darkness Turns To Light:**

Sam had calmed down considerably and, after hearing the reasons behind his decision, I felt a little disappointed in myself for how bratty I had been acting. I wanted to stay with my friends, but not enough to put everyone in danger. Especially Paul. And Charlie.

"Fine. If it means that the tribe will be safe, I'll move down to La Push. What do I have to do to transfer schools?"

"My mom is the principle of the high school, she's already taking care of everything," Embry said, jumping on the couch next to me. "Your classes will start Monday."

**Chapter 3:**

It's been a week since I've started classes at La Push High and it feels like my entire world has been turned upside down. When I got home the night I found out about Paul and the wolf pack, Charlie and I had a nice long chat. It turns out that he already knew much more than I gave him credit for, especially about the werewolves. We talked about his relationship with Sue (he had been spending every day with her since Harry's funeral 5 months ago and the romantic turn shocked them both). I had been so lost in my own little world that I hadn't even noticed the two growing closer, Charlie even becoming somewhat of a new father figure in Leah and Seth's lives. I told him all about Edward, Alice and the family, catching him up on everything that had been going on since. He had already known about the vampire the boys had been tirelessly chasing, but after finding out that I was the person she was after Charlie almost had a heart attack himself. With the help of the pack, we were moved into the Clearwater house the next day and, true to his word, Embry's mom had me completely transferred by Monday.

The entire moving experience really forced Paul and I to spend some quality time together and we realized we had more in common than he originally thought. I learned that he had a sweet, sarcastic side to him underneath the rage and quick temper and he learned that I wasn't some delicate flower. I could keep up with the rest of the guys and loved to be snarky myself. The only time he phased this week was when he got in a fight with Charlie over my living arrangements. Paul is very possessive of the things he believes to be his, so me sleeping in Seth's old room, surrounded by Seth's scent did not go over well with him. He demanded that I stay in one of the spare rooms at his house, but Charlie was not having that. I was relieved when Paul grudgingly caved, having too much respect for Charlie to go against his wishes. Truth be told, moving in with Paul after only a week of dating (if you can really call it that) would have been WAY too fast for me. I like the boy just fine and we get along pretty well, but living together while we're both still in High School is a bit inappropriate.

Things at the Clearwater's house have been going very well. Sue is a total sweetheart and it's been refreshing to see my dad so happy with someone after spending half of his life alone. Seth is clearly the son my father had always wished for, someone who he could go fishing and hunting with, someone to watch sports with and throw a ball with. He already feels like a little brother to me, the goofy kid is always getting into trouble and finding ways to make me laugh. Leah on the other hand has been a little trickier to befriend. She clearly loves my dad, but the more time she spends with him the more she misses her own father. She totally resented me when I moved in, not just because the vampire chasing me was the reason she had to run countless amounts of patrols, but because I was an imprint. Leah hates all of the imprints, especially her cousin Emily. We finally bonded over cooking, how stupid but hot we think the Biology teacher Mr. Smith is, and our taste in literature. I wouldn't quite call us friends, but I think we are slowly but surely heading in that direction.

La Push High school is exactly like every other high school I've ever gone to. The first few days were completely awkward, everyone in class staring at me like I was a fresh piece of meat, yet no one outside of the pack really came up to talk to me. I figured it was either because no one wants to make new friends a month before the end of school or because the students were too intimidated by the huge werewolves escorting me from class to class. It turned out to be the latter. Sam's gang ruled the school and no one messed with them or the imprints. It was nice having a built-in group of friends, but it made me miss Angela and Ben.

My favorite class of the day is study hall, the only class where Jared, Kim, Paul, Jacob and I basically get to hang out and do whatever for an hour. The teacher Ms. Lemming is planning her wedding so, after taking attendance in the library, she basically lets us do whatever while she gets on the phone to call her caterer or whomever. I was doodling on a piece of paper I had found, drawing a random design when Paul plunked down in the seat next to me and threw his arm around me, grabbing my paper in the process.

"Nice work, Swan. Drawing pictures of me in class? If you missed me that much I could find a supply closet down the hall with our name on it," he smirked, eying me up and down.

Snatching the paper from him I huffed and crumpled it into a ball, throwing it at him. "You wish Lahote. I was actually drawing a cute little puppy, something you would know nothing about. You know, since you are neither a puppy, little, OR cute."

"I'm so going to get you for that," he whisper-yelled as he started tickling my ribs until I couldn't breathe. I could hear Kim and Jared laughing at us from across the table, but other than that the rest of the students in the library were forgotten as I tried my hardest to get away from my persistent werewolf. No matter how much I begged him he wouldn't relent. I was a minute away from completely losing it when the door to the library slammed closed and vicious growling filled the room. The next thing I knew, Paul had been slammed into the wall by a blurry brown shape and I had fallen out of my chair and fallen hard on my hip.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you that no means NO Lahote?" Jacob growled, trembling as he hit a surprised Paul in the stomach multiple times. Paul had started to tremble, but seeing that I had fallen to the ground as a result of Jacob's impulsive movements, the slight tremble turned into a full body quake.

"You guys need to take it outside. Now. Don't make me call Sam," Jared said calmly, ushering them toward the fire exit leading outside. Jacob stormed out, running full speed toward the forest before phasing before Jared followed, rolling his eyes at us. Paul came and kneeled by my side, checking me over for injury before kissing my forehead and storming after the other two once he had officially deemed me ok.

With the three boys gone, I sat back in my seat and rested my head in my hands. Kim, who was quickly becoming my best friend, was by my side in an instant, comforting me.

"How much longer do you think they're going to keep at this for? I can't stand them fighting over me, it's so stupid and one of them could get really hurt!"

"Bella, they're both in love with you. That's not going to magically change over night. Jacob knows that you were meant to be with Paul, he's just having a hard time letting go of you. It's going to be hard on you for a while, especially since Jacob is heartbroken and Paul will never stop fighting for you. Jacob is meant to be the leader of the pack and, because he has to put the needs of the pack first, he will never imprint. The real trouble will come on the day when Jacob takes over and demands that you are his."

"You don't really think he'll do that, do you? He wouldn't become Alpha to take me away from Paul…" I asked, trying to convince her as much as myself.

"I don't know Bella. Most guys will stop at nothing to get what they want."

I looked to Kim who was giving me a sympathetic glance just as the bell rang. "I guess Paul and the guys are skipping the last class?" I asked grabbing my books and heading for the door.

"I wouldn't count on them coming back… See you tonight at the bonfire? I have to run to English!" Kim said, rushing past me.

"Sure! See you!" I said, heading to the opposite end of the building to my history class. Without Paul to distract me class was so boring. About half way through my teacher's droll monotone lecture on the end of World War 2 I had to go to the bathroom. I was just finishing up as the bell rang and in came some of the girls from a few of my earlier classes. I briefly smiled at them, grabbing myself a paper towel before I was roughly shoved into the wall.

"Excuse me," I said trying to push past them out the door. I didn't make it far before one of the girls grabbed me and forced me to look at them. The three girls were very pretty looking girls that I could tell were from the reservation. They looked like clones of each other; the only major difference I could see was in the outfits they chose to wear. Truthfully they looked like skinnier, shorter, plain-looking versions of Leah.

"Wow. Lookie here girls, the pale-face is here all alone. What's wrong, trash? Not so tough now that your entourage isn't here? That's a shocker," said the girl in the middle to her other two cackling friends. "Who do you think you are, showing your face here and taking our men? Don't you know who you're stealing from? Haven't you heard the rumors? No one takes what's mine and gets away with it! I'm warning you now, I'm going to be your worst nightmare."

"Who are you? I didn't take anything from anyone, I just started here," I said, yanking my arm back from the laughing hyena on my right and glairing at the ringleader who had started all of this.

"Didn't steal anything? Are you for real? You can't just come into my school and take the hottest guys without there being any consequences!" She screeched at me, glairing at her two companions who immediately stopped their obnoxious laughter.

I in turn started laughing. "Seriously? This is over a guy? You think you're going to be my worst nightmare over a guy who's obviously not into you? Get real. If he had actually wanted you then he would have probably done something about it by now. I have bigger problems to deal with right now than some sad girl and her minions trying to 'make my life miserable'. This has been fun, but if you'll excuse me, I have things that actually matter to take care of," I said, heading towards the door. Before I could get far, I felt a hard tug at the back of my head and was falling towards the floor when the door opened again and in came Leah.

"Really Mona? You're really pulling the new girl's hair because Paul doesn't want to sleep with you any more? He never wanted you; he just thought you were an easy lay. Get over yourself and show some class. Or is that concept too hard for you? Come on Bella, I'm driving you home today," Leah said, helping me to my feet and yanking me out the door.

"I was handling that just fine myself, Leah," I grumbled, heading back to History to get my bag and head home with her.

"You think you can handle three girls jumping you in the girls bathroom? Girl please. You are either really brave or extremely stupid. Leave it to you to become enemies with the trashiest girl in school on your first week here…."

"How is anyone here going to learn to respect me if the pack keeps fighting my battles for me?"

"That's the best part Bella: none of these brats NEED to respect you. We have like two weeks left in this hell hole and I doubt you're going to see much of anyone outside of the pack ever again after this. Besides, Paul would have kicked my ass for letting anything happen to you while he wasn't here. Lets just say I was looking out for myself as well as you, ok?"

"Fine, but I still don't like it," I grumbled, getting into the passenger seat and buckling in. We waited silently for Seth to jump in and listened to him animatedly describe a funny thing that happened in one of his classes the rest of the way home.

Sue and Charlie weren't due home for hours and I basically had the place to myself. Leah had gone out on patrol and Seth was lost in his own little world of Black Ops in the game room upstairs. Thinking I needed some peace and quiet, I grabbed a blanket and my worn copy of Pride and Prejudice and headed out back to my favorite spot in the back yard. I was outside maybe ten minutes before I felt something cold and wet touch my arm followed by a warm slimy tongue kissing my face. Giggling, I wiped away the excess drool and looked up at the goofy smiling face of my grey wolf. Tongue hanging out and panting heavily, Paul curled himself around me, giving me the heat and company I had previously been lacking in his absence.

"Paul, I think we need to talk."

**Thoughts? What do you think of Mona? Hate her as much as I do? Review and let me know!**


	5. Chapter 4

**AN: Hey everyone! Have you missed me? I hope so! I know that some of you HATE Mona and think she is a bit like Lauren Mallory and I guess in a way she is... But don't worry! I have big plans for Mona! Though I can guarantee she is a character that you will NEVER like and she will be so much worse than Lauren Mallory will ever be. Special shout out to my amazing beta Bella MacLeod, I don't know what I would do if you weren't here to reign in my crazy. Hope you guys enjoy!  
><strong>

**Previously on When Darkness Turns to Light:**

Sue and Charlie weren't due home for hours and I basically had the place to myself. Leah had gone out on patrol and Seth was lost in his own little world of Black Ops in the game room upstairs. Thinking I needed some peace and quiet, I grabbed a blanket and my worn copy of Pride and Prejudice and headed out back to my favorite spot in the back yard. I was outside maybe ten minutes before I felt something cold and wet touch my arm followed by a warm slimy tongue kissing my face. Giggling, I wiped away the excess drool and looked up at the goofy smiling face of my grey wolf. Tongue hanging out and panting heavily, Paul curled himself around me, giving me the heat and company I had previously been lacking in his absence.

"Paul, I think we need to talk."

**Chapter 4**

Paul gently nudged my hand with his nose, giving a low whine and giving me the most pathetic puppy dog eyes I have ever seen.

" Oh calm yourself, it's nothing really that bad. I just wanted to talk about what happened after you left school today," I said, giving the wolf a reassuring pat on the head. "Leah's phased, so I assume you saw what happened in the girl's room with Mona…" I asked, getting cut off by Paul's viscous growl.

"I'll take that as a yes then… So… you slept with her?" All I heard was another whine.

"Are you guys dating or something? She seems to think you are and I want no part in helping you cheat on her. The school year's almost up and I understand you needing me near for your wolf, but I don't want to stand in the way of the two of you being… Together," I said, petting his ears. With an angry huff, Paul jumped up and stormed into the forest.

I sat still for a few minutes, surprised by his quick retreat, before something inside of me forced me after him. I walked about two steps into the forest when I saw he had phased back and was sitting on a tree stump, running his hands through his thick black hair in a very Edward-like gesture. I walked over and sat down next to him, something telling me to give him a moment to himself. After patiently waiting for him to say something for a couple minutes with no response, I finally had enough.

"Look Paul, I don't care that you're dating her. I just don't want to be in the middle of any more drama," I said with a sigh, already drained by this conversation and ready for a nice long shower to wash away the stress of today.

"Bella it's not even like that. I'm trying to find a way of telling you what she is to me that won't make you hate me, ok?" He said with a slight growl of frustration.

"You can say whatever you need to to me, you'll always be my friend."

"Can't you see Bella? I don't want to be your friend. I want so much more from this relationship than just a friend."

"We'll get there eventually Paul. For now I just want to hear what you have to say. You and I both know that we have a lot to talk about before we even touch on the subject of what we could be. Right now we're friends and that's where we'll stay until we're both ready. Ok? You can start by telling me about Mona," I said, grabbing his hand and settling in for a long talk.

"I really don't want to talk about that girl, but since you do I guess I'll tell you. Mona and I go way back. Her mother and my mom used to set us up on play dates when we were toddlers. I never really noticed her much until freshman year of high school when she hit puberty. I had just become a part of the wolf pack and was looking for a way to deal with my aggression outside of patrol and she was looking for a way into the popular crowd. Of course, not being an imprint, none of the pack really gave her much thought, but they were always civil to her whenever I brought her round. We were in a mutually beneficial friendship, friends with benefits. Nothing more. I never felt anything for her; she was just an easy girl that let me use her any way I wanted. She wanted more when I found you. I haven't talked to her ever since," he said, watching me carefully.

"I don't really know what to say about that Paul… No wonder the girl hates me," I said, grabbing back my hand from him and scooting a bit farther away from him on the log.

"I knew it! I knew I shouldn't have told you," he shouted, standing up and pacing back and forth in front of me.

"I'm glad you told me. Now I know that she has every right to be mad. You basically dumped her like yesterday's trash for the new girl. I would be pissed too," I said quietly, not meeting his eyes.

"She is yesterday's trash, Bella. You think I was the only guy she was fucking? I just happened to be her favorite, NOT her boyfriend. I knew you were going to react this way, I never should have said anything," he fumed, continuing to pace. We carried on like this for a few minutes, him pacing and shaking slightly and me reflecting on what he had told me. We would have stayed this way much longer, but we were interrupted by a silver wolf that came jogging in from the west and stopped between us, looking at Paul expectantly.

"Yeah Leah, I know I know. I'm late again. Just tell Jared to quit having a bitch fit and that I'll be out in a sec. Now shoo," he said, waving her off. With a slight growl she rolled her eyes and headed back in the direction of the house.

"I need to go Bella, but call me tonight? We can continue our fun little chat," He said sarcastically, unzipping his pants and running further into the forest. He came strutting back, in wolf form, and gave my face a quick lick before darting off in the direction that Leah had come from. Wiping his slobber off my face I trudged back towards my house, picking up my blanket and book and thinking about how easy it was for him to lift my spirits with just one, albeit gross, wolfy kiss. I guess that's just Paul for you.

Leah was on the couch with a bowl of popcorn channel surfing when I came into the room. She gave me a nod in greeting and motioned to the end of the couch where she had made room for me to join her.

"Mom and Charlie are going to be late tonight, so I ordered pizza. Hope you like pepperoni and mushrooms," She said, finally settling on some CW show about vampires and werewolves.

"I don't mind the pizza…. But how can you watch this show? They know nothing about actual vampires or werewolves."

"I just think it's humorous. Two smokin' hot guys fighting over a stupid mortal girl? Witches making people rings that prevent them from dying? A vampire and a werewolf in love? Please. Where the hell do they come up with this crap? Too funny," she says before turning up the volume and pointing out all of the inaccuracies for the rest of the show. I have to admit, her commentary is funny, but I have a little too much on my mind to get as into the show as she is.

The doorbell hadn't even rung before Seth was outside, grabbing the boxes of pizza and running one up to his room, leaving us with the second and the bill. I guess being a werewolf he is entitled to the best pie. After finishing up dinner I took a shower and went straight to bed, completely exhausted from everything that had happened to me today. All night I thought I heard a wolf howl, but it's hard to separate dream from reality.

I woke up on Friday morning in an absolute panic, caught up in a mess of covers with Leah violently shaking me awake. "Bella! Bella stop screaming! Paul's wolf is going crazy outside, it sounds like you were being murdered! You're fine, just calm down," she said, letting go of my shoulder and walking towards the window. "Calm down Paul, it was just a nightmare. Go home and her some sleep, School starts in three hours," she shouted down, closing the window behind her and pulling the blinds. There was a single howl and then silence.

"He's been going crazy trying to reach you apparently and then he heard you screaming and promptly made his way over here at four in the morning… I don't know why he didn't just call the house phone of my cell phone… Idiot," she said, jumping into bed beside me and grabbing for the sleeping bag on the floor.

"What… What are you doing?" I asked groggily, not really knowing what was happening.

"Your screaming is going to keep the entire house awake unless I'm here to stop you. Besides, I was cold," She said smirking, reaching for the pillow that she had brought with her and settling in next to me.

"How can you possibly be cold? Don't you run a toasty 108 degrees?" I ask, scooting over before she forces me to.

"I lied. Just think of it as a sleepover until Charlie puts together the bunk beds he bought for us. Besides, I'm tired of hearing Seth complain about sleeping on the couch. You'll be doing me a favor. Just shut up and sleep, I wasn't kidding about there being three hours until school," she said before promptly turning away from me and trying to sleep.

Leah fell asleep within minutes, but I couldn't. I stayed up, staring at the ceiling before I decided that laying in bed was getting me nowhere and it might be nice to have muffins for breakfast. The thing I like about baking is that it doesn't require much thought once you've got your rhythm down. It brings me a much-needed inner peace, especially when I have been worried about things as I have been.

The smell of orange cranberry muffins baking immediately woke Seth and Leah, both of whom were slowly walking into the kitchen. They both grabbed for the still steaming muffins and I took my chance with the shower while they were both distracted. By the time I was finished it was time to leave for school. I said goodbye to Charlie and Sue who had come down when I was changing and jumped in my truck. The roar of the engine was a comfort I had missed, having the pack drive me in each day to assure that I didn't get lost. It was almost freeing, being able to drive myself into school.

The relief I felt was short lived as I pulled in just in time to see Mona wrap herself around Paul and lean in for a kiss. He was my friend, nothing more. So why am I so upset that my friend is making out with the girl that was such a bitch to me the day before? Maybe it was the pull of the imprint, maybe it was because I thought he liked me like he claimed to. Maybe it was because losing him would be just one more thing to break me now that the Cullens had gone. All I know is what I felt in that moment: anger, hurt, betrayal, rage, disgust, surprise…. And most shockingly of all I felt envy. Not because he was kissing this bimbo, but because she was wrapped around something that is mine. He. Is. Mine.

**Love it? Hate it? Review it!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! I'm so sorry this is a day late, but life's been so crazy lately! I've had an essay in every class and finals this week... Absolute craziness! I did want to take a second to thank all of my AMAZING REVIEWERS! 21 reviews for last chapter? Y'all are so great! SO I've decided that, to thank you for being SO AWESOME, every person that reviews this chapter will get a little preview from next chapter! YAY! Please keep the reviews coming and let me know what you think!  
><strong>

**Previously on When Darkness Turns to Light:**

The relief I felt was short lived as I pulled in just in time to see Mona wrap herself around Paul and lean in for a kiss. He was my friend, nothing more. So why am I so upset that my friend is making out with the girl that was such a bitch to me the day before? Maybe it was the pull of the imprint, maybe it was because I thought he liked me like he claimed to. Maybe it was because losing him would be just one more thing to break me now that the Cullens had gone. All I know is what I felt in that moment: anger, hurt, betrayal, rage, disgust, surprise…. And most shockingly of all I felt envy. Not because he was kissing this bimbo, but because she was wrapped around something that is mine. He. Is. Mine.

**Chapter 5**

I don't know how long I stood there staring at the two across the parking lot… It could have been hours, it could have been seconds, but it felt like years and no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't look away. I was completely frozen in place. It wasn't until someone tugged on my arm that I finally snapped back to reality. I turned to see Kim staring at me expectantly.

"I'm sorry Kim, did you ask me something?" I asked, trying to keep my eyes on her and not turn my attention back on the jerk and the slut behind her.

"I've been calling you for a couple minutes, but you've been standing here frozen like a creeper. Are you ok? What happened?" she asked, ushering me towards our first period class.

"I… I don't even know…" I said still in shock.

"Well who were you looking at? It must have been something interesting if it's made you act so strange… Spill. You know you want to," she said, ribbing me and trying to get me to smile. It didn't work, but she wouldn't know that just yet.

"Kim, I'm just really confused and angry right now. Paul and I had a nice talk last night and basically said we were going to work out what we were. He said he wants to have a relationship and that we would talk more before we decided anything."

"That's great! So are you guys like dating now? Is he your boyfriend?" she squealed, calling the attention of some of the other students to us and pointedly ignoring them.

"No. I can say for certain that we are not dating and he is NOT my boyfriend." I said, pulling out my notebook and trying my hardest to distract myself from the tears I knew would fall if we kept talking about this.

"What? Why not? You guys are perfect for each other! He was literally made for you!"

"Apparently I wasn't made for him…" I muttered, scribbling in my journal the day's assignments that the teacher had written on the board.

"What do you mean? Did something happen?"

"I saw him kissing Mona in the parking lot this morning when I pulled into school. He obviously likes her more than he said he did…" I said, avoiding looking at her even though I could tell she was as horrified as I was this morning when I saw them together.

"WHAT?" She yelled, causing some of our classmates to shush us and give us dirty looks. "Oh chill out, we graduate Friday," she said, rolling her eyes and turning back to me. "Are you sure? That doesn't sound like Paul…. Well, it doesn't sound like something he would do since he met you," she said, looking curiously at me and then furiously texting someone on her phone.

"I'm sure it was him, Kim. It couldn't have been anyone else," I said, giving up on my notes and giving her my full attention.

"Are you ok? I know you weren't dating or anything, but he's your imprint. Is there anything I can do?"

"I don't know Kim. I have no idea what I'm feeling right now. I'm hurt, angry, confused and I feel a little possessive. I have no idea where it came from, but the moment I saw them kissing all I could think of was that she had her hands on something that was mine."

"Sounds like she had a lot more than her hands on him," Kim said distractedly, still texting Jared I assume.

"Not helping."

"Sorry," she said, closing her phone and giving me her undivided attention again. "It sounds like you're really starting to feel the imprint bond. I felt like that too in the beginning any time a girl would give Jared any attention at all. I know it's not the same thing, Jared never noticed anyone else, but I still felt those emotions. So. What are you going to do about this? Fight for your man?"

"Honestly? I want nothing to do with him right now. I don't want to talk to him, I don't want to look at him and I don't want to think about him. I DEFANENTLY want nothing to do with Mona. I'm just going to pretend they don't exist."

"Bella…. You can't just ignore Paul!"

"I'm going to. I want nothing to do with him. I can't even look at him right now… He lied to me, Kim. He said she was less than nothing to him and then I see them kissing. I can't give my heart to someone that is just going to break it again, especially if he's a liar. What else is he lying about? What if he's lying about the imprint, just using it to mess with me? I can't take that chance Kim, not again." I said, wrapping up my books at the sound of the bell and getting ready to head to my next class.

"Bella, I think you should let him explain, I'm sure there's more to the story than what you saw…" She says, following me out of the class and to our lockers where Paul and Jared were waiting for us.

"Please Kim… Just tell him I don't want to talk to him, ok? I just need some space and time to figure out what I'm feeling. I had this overwhelming feeling that he was mine earlier and he obviously belongs to someone else…. I just need time to think. Can you let him know please?"

"Sure, but I think you're making a mistake…"

"Thanks Kim, I've got to run," I said, trying to get to my next class, safe zone, before Paul could get to me. All class I was distracted by a strange howl I kept hearing from outside the window. I kept looking out the window into the dark forest, trying to catch of a glimpse of the wolf making the weird noises, but apparently I was the only one hearing them. My neighbor even gave me a funny look when I asked if they heard anything from outside. I felt this weird tug in my stomach and all class I kept feeling worse and worse. Finally I couldn't take it anymore and decided to go to the nurse.

Nurse Gray is a sweet, if not clueless, older lady. She sent me right home, not really knowing what was wrong with me and basically concluding that I was under too much stress, what with the move and graduating soon. She basically said that I should head home and take the weekend to rest. With everything I have to think over and the upset feeling in my stomach I can't say I disagreed with her decision. That; and I didn't want to see either Mona or Paul. I had half a mind to yell at one and punch the other; I'm just not sure who I want to do each thing to.

The entire drive home I was hyper aware of every sound outside, my mind playing tricks on me every once in a while. I kept thinking I was seeing flashes of red or a flash of grey streaking through the forest but I chalked it up to overactive imagination.

Right as I was about to pull onto my new street my house key dropped in front of the passenger seat; I reached down to grab it, slowing the car and trying to keep an eye on the road, but they were just out of my reach. I slowed the car a little more and grabbed them, quickly sitting up and sighing in relief. I must have been going faster than I thought because, before I even knew what was happening, I saw a blonde man in the road. The two seconds it took me to realize what was happening and register the look of panic on his face were about two seconds too long and I froze. In what seemed like slow motion, the car crashed into the man. I was completely powerless to stop it, shocked and frozen in place.

The blur of white and metallic crunch of metal making contact with a blunt object were enough to wake me out of my stupor and forcefully hit the brakes. I put my car in park and threw the door open, going to look for the man that I had hit. My car was dented. I could see when the man must have been hit, but there was no blood. No blood and no man.

I spent maybe half an hour searching the road, looking for the blonde man, and found nothing. I finally got back in the car and drove the half block up to the house and parked. I went inside and called Charlie at the station. I let him know that I had been sent home by the nurse and about my little accident out front. I could tell he was hesitant, probably thinking I was hallucinating due to fever or something, but he grudgingly said he would send Sam to check on things.

The weight of everything that had happened this week, from imprinting to hitting a man with my car had completely worn me out. I don't remember walking upstairs, I don't remember if I changed or just went to bed in the clothes I was wearing at school, and I don't remember leaving my window open when I left for school in the morning, especially since I knew it was going to rain today. I fell into a dark, foggy sleep.

I was dreaming about my silver wolf, playing tag or something in the forest when it let out a piercing howl. I woke from a dead sleep to see Paul standing over me, viciously growling and shaking like he was having a seizure. Still foggy, I remember being mad at him but there was a part of me that was relieved to see him here with me.

He ripped the blanket away from me and yanked me to my feet. Sniffing me like a weirdo, he then let out a primal, scary half yell half howl, pushing me away from him and jumping out my window in one fell swoop. It happened so quickly I couldn't stop my head from hitting the wall on the way down… I remember hearing a painful howl outside as everything went black.

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	7. Chapter 6

_**Hello to my AMAZING readers! Thank you so much for all of your reviews of my last chapter! I am a bit sad to let y'all know that I'm going abroad on a school trip for three weeks, so I'm going to be about a week late on my next update... I won't have a computer or access to one, so I won't be able to post... But I'll be thinking of you guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter, I can't wait to hear what you guys think! Thanks for reading!**_

_**I haven't said this in a while, but... Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all characters associated with it. I own this story, that rudie Mona, and my fantasies of dirty talking Paul =D  
><strong>_

**Previously on When Darkness Turns to Light:  
><strong>  
>He ripped the blanket away from me and yanked me to my feet. Sniffing me like a weirdo, he then let out a primal, scary half yell half howl, pushing me away from him and jumping out my window in one fell swoop. It happened so quickly I couldn't stop my head from hitting the wall on the way down… I remember hearing a painful howl outside as everything went black.<p>

**Chapter 6**

Sweltering heat. Exhaustion and sweltering heat. That was the only thing my mind could process at the moment. I remember an angry Paul pushing me away from him as he jumped though my window, though I can't tell if it was a dream or something that really happened. All I know is its boiling hot and the voices I'm hearing won't let me get back to sleep. The problem is that I'm having a problem deciding if they're in my head or a harsh reality.

There was a man. He was in the road. I hit him with my car. What was he doing there? The window into my bedroom was open; did Leah and I leave it that way? I thought I closed it, maybe that was a dream too. The voices are getting louder now. I want to open my eyes, but I can't. I can just make out what the voices are saying, I just can't tell whose talking. The warmth tightens its hold around me, almost uncomfortably, and I fade into the blackness. The voices consume me.

"Someone was here. Not the woman, someone else. He was in her room... Vampire"

"She said she hit someone... A blonde man in the road"

"She didn't hit a person, she hit the man. The impact dent smells the same as the room and the surrounding forest. She probably surprised him and hit him with her car; I bet she didn't even know he wasn't human."

"How could he have gotten so close? How did he slip through our borders undetected?" a familiar voice growled out, the hot prison constricting and slightly vibrating with these words.

"I don't know. He smells like the female, though. They must have been working together."

"Why didn't he just kill her when he had the chance? Why did he only take a couple shirts when it's obvious they want to kill her?"

"Only time will tell."

"I'm not just going to sit back and wait for whatever they have planned to just happen. We have to do something!"

"There's not much we can do at the moment, the wolves on patrol have lost the scent and she's already living on the reservation..."

A loud growl surrounded me, scaring me with its strong implication and threat.

"We'll double up patrols and assign a wolf to be with her at all times. She and Leah are already going to be sharing a room once we have the bunk bed assembled; we just have to figure out the rest of the shifts."

"She's my mate. No one can protect her better than I can."

"She wants nothing to do with you right now Paul. She told Kim..."

"I don't care what she told your girl, she is mine and I will stop at nothing to protect her!" The vibrating got worse with every word I heard, reminding me of the shaking the boys did when they were about to phase. It made me a little dizzy and my memory fuzzier than it already was. It wasn't long until the darkness completely reclaimed me and the world was silent once more.

The first thing I noticed was something wet and cold on my forehead. It was such a nice break from the sweltering inferno I had been trapped in for what felt like months. I still feel some of the heat, but it is concentrated on the left side of my body and is not nearly as bad as it was before.

I could feel someone brushing a cool washcloth across my heated skin and a soothing voice calling me back to reality.

"Bella, honey, you need to wake up now," said a familiar voice I was having trouble placing. I blinked my eyes open and was met with the smiling face of Sue. The room I was in was full of dark colors, obviously not a hospital, not quite a room that I recognized.

"Where... Where am I?" I asked, disgruntled by the sound of my own scratchy voice.

"You're at home dear. You've been out since Friday night, it's Sunday morning. We have all been worried about you, especially that one," she said, nodding towards the huge silver wolf asleep on the floor next to me.

"What happened?"

"Maybe you should come downstairs with me and let the poor boy sleep, he's been going crazy with worry for you and I think that's the first I've seen him rest in days. Come," she said, slowly helping me out of the bunk bed and down the stairs.

"When did we get a bunk bed?"

"Charlie bought one for you and Leah a couple days ago, Paul and Seth were kind enough to put it together while you were resting. Now hurry along, I need to call Sam so he can come tell you everything you need to know," she said, leading me toward the family room and making sure I was comfortable on the couch before going to call Sam.

Charlie was sitting in the recliner we brought from our old house, regarding me warily over the sports section of the local paper.

"How you feeling, champ?" He asked gruffly, resting his paper on the coffee table and giving me a long, hard look.

"Tired; tired but fine," I said, wrapping myself in the couch blanket and distracting myself with one of the threads that had come loose.

"Good to hear. I was worried about you kiddo. Good hear you're feeling better," he said, standing up from the recliner and heading towards the kitchen. There were some muffled voices and then he reappeared, donning his jacket and his gun holster. "I've got to go to the station. I stayed home to check on you, now I have some stuff to catch up on. You ok here? Sue is a nurse, so I know you're in safe hands..."

"Yeah dad, I'll be fine."

"Good. Oh, and call your mother. She'll be glad to know you're feeling OK," he said gruffly.

"You called her?" I moaned, not wanting to deal with a crazy Renee at the moment.

With a brief nod of affirmation and a quick wave goodbye, Charlie was gone. He slammed the door a little rougher than necessary, waking the sleeping wolf upstairs. There was a loud commotion coming from my room and a long, painful howl that followed.

"Oh Paul, quit your bitchin'! She's down here, for Christ sake..." shouted the sweaty Leah who had plopped down next to me, exhausted after what looked to be a long patrol.

"Hot day?" I asked; pointing out the obvious sweat that was pouring off of her.

Ignoring the loud thumping on the stairs, she gave me the once over. "You have no idea. Welcome back to the land of the living, sis. It's nice of you to join us. You look to be feeling better, so I'm going to go grab a quick shower and crash for a couple hours. I took the top bunk, hope that's cool with you. Lord knows the last thing I want to wake up to in the morning is you falling off a ladder and breaking yourself..." she said, hauling her butt off the couch and heading towards the newly vacated stairwell.

Paul growled at her as she passed, obviously not liking her making jokes about me falling to my death from a ladder in the bedroom. She gave him a good eye roll and tossed him a pair of pants that happened to be sitting on the side of the couch. "The last thing mom needs to see is your naked ass..." she murmured, leaving the two of us alone.

I couldn't look at Paul for some reason. My hands were fidgeting from under the blanket and I was looking anywhere but him, the hard glare I knew he was giving me making me increasingly uncomfortable. We stayed this way for what seemed like hours until Sue came in with a bowl of soup for me and a lame excuse about needing to go grocery shopping, letting us know that Sam was about half an hour away.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Paul decided he had enough of the silence and launched his verbal attack. "What the hell were you thinking, driving out in the woods by yourself without telling anyone? Are you really that stupid?" He shouted, getting in my face and beginning to slowly vibrate.

"What are you talking about? I got sick and was driving home to rest…" I replied, still a bit fuzzy about what happened Friday.

"You left school without telling any of the pack and wandered into the woods ALONE when there is a damn vampire out there wanting to kill you. Either you are seriously naive or you are dumb as shit. So, which is it?"

His words and the way he was getting in my face made me increasingly upset, the memories flooding back to me. I was pissed at this man-boy in front of me, so mad that I didn't really think about the consequences of further angering a temperamental werewolf. "God Paul, stop being such a jerk."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Look, I was sick and I hit someone with my car driving home. Not a big deal. Why does it even matter? It's not like you even care. So stop pretending that my safety means anything to you."

The shaking increased tenfold followed by a deep growl. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "This has nothing to do with what you think you saw Bella."

"What do you mean? It's not what I think I saw, it's what I DID see. I saw someone who had lied to me someone who asked me to begin a relationship with them making out with a girl they promised meant nothing to them. What else have you lied to me about Paul? I feel like I can't trust you or anything you've said to me."

"Stop trying to change the subject Swan. We're talking about how you being a danger magnet and how you're always putting yourself in a position of risk!"

"And it looks like now is no different," said Sam who had let himself in and was watching a vibrating Paul warily. "I think you need to go for a run, Paul, until you calm down. Lord knows we don't need any more accidents around here."

Paul let out a deep growl; Sam in turn narrowed his eyes. "Need I remind you of Emily? Either calm yourself right now or go for a run. That is an order."

Mumbling angrily, Paul stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Sam chuckled, rolling his eyes at Paul's theatrics. "How are you doing Bella?"

"I'm fine Sam. I wish people would stop asking me that…" I grumbled, picking up my cooled soup and digging in.

"We can't help it, you're pack and we were worried about you. Can you tell me what you remember about Friday? I heard a brief overview from Charlie, but I would like to hear it from you if you remember…" He said, sitting back and relaxing in Charlie's recliner.

"Really Sam, I told Charlie everything…"

"Humor me."

I sighed, putting down my soup and settling in for a long talk. "I was feeling terrible, so the nurse sent me home. I was a bit distracted searching for my keys, and the next thing I know there's a blonde man in the road. I didn't hit the breaks in time and I hit him. I know I hit him, there's a dent in my car to prove it…. But when I looked to make sure he was ok he was nowhere to be found. I went home, called Charlie, and fell asleep. That's it." I said, picking up my soup again and attempting to finish it.

"Is there anything else you remember? Had you seen the man before?"

"I had never seen him before, but really it happened so quickly I didn't get too great of a look at him. There was something weird though… When I got back to the new house my bedroom window was open and I distinctly remember Leah closing it last night. Maybe she opened it after I left, but I distinctly remember it being closed when I left and open when I came back."

Sam sat across from me silently for a few minutes, lost in thought. "I have quite a bit to tell you, Bella. Some of it I'm sure you know; some I'm sure is new…"

"And it has to do with the man I hit?"

"Just let the man speak woman," said a very rude Paul. Fresh from his run, he picked up my feet and sat on the end of the couch, placing them in his lap and attempting to give them a little rub. I glared at him, kicking his hands away and pulling my legs up to my chest. Smirking, he threw his arm around my shoulder, bringing me closer to him. He motioned for Sam to continue as I struggled, unsuccessfully, to rid myself of the rude man beside me.

Chuckling at our antics, Sam continued with his little speech. "As you let us know, the red head, Victoria, has been trying to get to you. This man, the blonde man that you hit with your car, was also in your room. He was in your closet, we don't know if he took something or not. He smelled like the woman, we think they are working together. We think you startled him with your scent, that's why he didn't move fast enough to avoid your truck. I know the two of them are working together and I am positive now that they aren't Cullen's. Them stealing your shirt leads me to believe that there are others as well.."

"What do you mean; others?" Paul asked, voicing my thoughts.

"You know how police dogs and rescue dogs are trained to find what they are looking for based on scent? I believe that's what the blonde man was after. He had her alone; he could have killed her on the spot. He didn't. He walked away with pieces of her clothing instead, why else would he do that unless he was planning something bigger? Like I said, it's just a thought. "

"So what are we going to do about it, Sam?" asked Paul.

"Why can't I just give myself to her? End this whole thing?"

Paul growled viciously, shaking the entire couch with his vibrations while Sam sat stunned.

"That is not an option…" spat Paul, glaring at me.

"Why? If I just hand myself over then all the attacks on the Pack stop, no one gets hurt and my family and friends are safe. That sounds pretty good to me." I said, staring him down defiantly.

"Not happening. That's not even on the table. Sam?"

"Paul's right Bella, you're a part of the pack. We fight to protect each and every member. Besides, even if you gave yourself up it is our obligation to the tribe to get rid of these creatures. With or without you there will be a fight so there's no need to be a martyr."

"So what's the plan then?"

"The plan is to double up patrol and make sure a werewolf is with you at all times. 24/7 there will be a pack member within hearing distance from you. That means no going off on your own no matter how sick you feel," Sam said, giving me a pointed look.

"So I'm going to have a babysitter with me at all times. Great! Is that why you rushed to get the bunk beds ready? So Leah and I can be buddy-buddy at night in case the big bad vampire comes back to sniff my clothes? Nice. Thanks guys." I grumbled, angry that any privacy I had has been stripped away from me.

Sam snickered and Paul had calmed down quite a bit and was smirking at me from the other end of the couch. "Well, you could always sleep with me babe," he said, wiggling his eyebrows and still slightly trembling.

"Ugh. You're a pig."

"And on that note…. I'm out of here. Paul? You patrol in two hours." Sam said heading out the door, laughing at our antics.

When Sam had finally gone we were back to our serious, uncomfortable silence. I was still mad at him from earlier, but him joking about us sleeping together while he was dating Mona and lying about it made me even madder than I was before. "I can't believe you think so little of me as to think I would be your other woman and 'sleep with you' when you are so obviously with Mona."

"Why would you even think that? And why are we even still talking about this? I told you I wasn't dating her," he said exasperatedly, getting up and pacing.

"I saw you kissing her in the parking lot."

"You saw me telling her to leave us alone. I confronted her about what she did to you the day before and reminded her that I was never her boyfriend. I told her that our little arrangement was over. She thought I was joking at first, but once she realized how serious I was she decided to 'show me what I would be missing'. Apparently that's the part that you saw, you missed me pushing her away and her slapping me…" He said, giving me a pointed accusatory look. "I swear I have never been anything but honest with you Bella. I want nothing but you and your happiness."

"I… I don't really know what to say Paul. I don't know what to believe and I don't know if I can let myself trust you."

"I'm your imprint, trust should come naturally," he said, giving me a small smile and reclaiming his seat on the couch next to me.

"Oh, and I should just take your word for it? Sorry, I've fallen for that line before and look where it got me."

"It got you to your soul mate; I think it worked out pretty well for you." He said, trying and failing to wrap his arm around me.

"Paul, just give me some space to figure this out, ok? I just need to figure this out on my own and, no offense, but you telling me you're not a liar doesn't mean much right now."

"Ok Swan. If you want space then I'll give you all the space you need. Just… let me know if you need me and I'll be here for you." He said, getting up and heading for the door. He paused at the door, giving me one last look. "Oh and Bella; I'll always be close at hand, watching and protecting you. Just promise me you'll keep yourself safe," he said before closing the door and leaving me to my thoughts.

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	8. Chapter 7

**Hey readers! Are you still out there? I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post this, I've been out of the country on a school trip and haven't had internet OR my computer. SAD! So, to make up for it, this is a longer drama-filled chapter for you! YAY! AND... Because you are all so awesome...  
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**Everyone that reviews will get a preview of the next chapter AND, if I get 50 reviews for this chapter, I will post chapter 8 IN FULL the day it happens! EXCITING! So love it or hate it... Review it!  
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**Previously on When Darkness Turns To Light:**

"I'm your imprint, trust should come naturally," he said, giving me a small smile and reclaiming his seat on the couch next to me.

"Oh, and I should just take your word for it? Sorry, I've fallen for that line before and look where it got me."

"It got you to your soul mate; I think it worked out pretty well for you." He said, trying and failing to wrap his arm around me.

"Paul, just give me some space to figure this out, ok? I just need to figure this out on my own and, no offense, but you telling me you're not a liar doesn't mean much right now."

"Ok Swan. If you want space then I'll give you all the space you need. Just… let me know if you need me and I'll be here for you." He said, getting up and heading for the door. He paused at the door, giving me one last look. "Oh and Bella; I'll always be close at hand, watching and protecting you. Just promise me you'll keep yourself safe," he said before closing the door and leaving me to my thoughts.

**Chapter 7:**

Paul was completely confusing me. I was beginning to think he was bipolar or maybe had split personalities... How could the guy who stayed with me every day while I was unconscious and cuddled with me in the woods each time I went out there to read also be the same person who went behind my back to hook up with another girl or roughly shoved me into a wall before jumping out my window in rage? I think I just need to talk to someone about this. Badly. But who could I talk to? I would usually go to Jacob with my problems but something tells me that going to him with boy problems was probably as bad an idea as getting a paper cut in a room full of bloodthirsty vampires... Been there, done that.

I couldn't go to an imprint, they would be totally biased. Even Kim... Especially Kim, the imprint of Paul's best friend. So who did that leave? Charlie? Please. Seth? Nah, he wouldn't understand. Sue? She couldn't give me a good look into Paul's mind... But Leah could.

I waited until she got up from her nap and had finished showering before I sought her out for questioning. It seems like she was expecting me, however, because when I got up to our room she was sitting on my bed waiting for me.

"What's up sis? Wolf problems?"

"You heard."

"Heard and saw. It's hard not to, with Mona staking her claim so publicly and all... Girlfriend practically peed on his leg."

"And?"

"And what?"

"And I'm pissed." I said, climbing into bed beside her and trying to get comfortable for our girl talk. Not really having any friends that are girls, besides maybe Alice Cullen, this whole 'getting personal' thing was completely new to me. Thankfully it looked like Leah was going through the same thought process as me; she looked as uncomfortable as I felt.

She took me off guard, mumbling, "I would be pissed too if I only had half the story..."

"What do you mean?"

She sighed, rolling her eyes and giving me a pointed look. "I saw it, ok? In the pack mind when the two of us went searching for you in the forest after Charlie said you hit someone. Paul played it over and over in his mind, torturing himself and me. I don't know why the two of you don't just talk about this instead of acting like five year olds..."

Choosing to ignore her harsh but true comments, I asked what she meant by replaying the scene.

"Ok. You talked the other night and he gave you a little peek into what he's feeling for you, right? Well, he went to tell that slut Mona to back off and leave the two of you alone when you pulled into the parking lot. She kissed him, the kiss you saw. If you had bothered to keep watching instead of storming off with Kim you would have seen him pushing her away and going after you while she went crying to tweedle dumb and tweedle dumber..."

"What? He didn't kiss Mona? Why wouldn't he just tell me that?"

"Don't you blame this all on him. Truth: would you have believed him if he told you that? Would you have even let him near enough to you to tell you?"

"No. But..."

"You two are seriously the stupidest, most stubborn people I have ever met. Apparently he tried to find you after the fact but you were already in class. He tried again after class, waiting outside by your locker, but you bolted and he lost it. Typical Paul…" She said, rolling her eyes.

"Wait... He was in the forest? Howling?"

"That was him. He was pissed that you wouldn't trust him or even listen to his explanation. Total hypocrite… If he had caught you kissing someone else he would have gone in swinging first, asking questions later," she replied.

"And he pushed me into the wall because...?"

"Look Bella. He was already pissed at himself for the Mona thing and pissed at you for not letting him explain. That was when he felt the imprint pull as well as the fear and panic you felt when you hit that guy with your car. He didn't know where you were, you had completely disappeared without telling anyone. He went crazy. Then we got the call from Sam and discovered you had come face to face with a vampire... You have to know, Paul can't control his emotions, especially when it comes to, you, his imprint. Once he physically saw that you were ok he pushed you away because he was about to phase and didn't want you to end up scarred like Emily..." She spat the name like it was something vile before continuing, "He didn't do it on purpose, he did it so he wouldn't hurt you."

Leah gave me a good, hard look before getting up and heading for the door. "Look, Bella. Paul is a guy and guys are idiots. He's new to this whole relationship thing and has never really had someone to care about before. He's completely clueless, but he means well and he would never do something to purposely hurt you. That being said, he doesn't think he did anything wrong, so he doesn't think he needs to apologize. Like I said, stupid."

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

"I like Paul. He never pitied me after the whole Sam-Emily thing and he never tried to cheer me up. He let me deal with it on my own. I respect that. He's the only one in the pack that hasn't tried to change me and he's the only one that let me be angry. I deserve to feel angry."

"So what should I do?"

"Hell if I know. I want no part in your, imprint, business; I just thought you should know the truth since Paul was too stubborn to tell you himself... anyway. I'm going to make myself a sandwich, you want one?"

"I'm good, I just need some time to think... But thanks Leah," I said.

"Whatever, Swan. Don't go all girlish on me," she said as she left, closing the door behind her.

I spent hours staring at the bottom of the bunk above mine, trying to process what I thought I had seen and what I had just been told. Leah had long since eaten her sandwich and was sound asleep in the bed above me. I tried my hardest to rest, but I just couldn't for some reason.

Although I was exhausted, I forced myself through my nightly ritual, thinking maybe not doing something was subconsciously keeping me awake. After showering, setting out my clothes for the next day, brushing my hair and teeth and setting my alarm I still couldn't sleep. I didn't have any homework, so it couldn't have been that...

It was one in the morning and I was just making a list in my mind of what it could possibly be when I heard a weird noise from outside my window. I shook it off, thinking it was just an owl or something... Then I heard it again.

"That's for you..." Leah mumbled, rolling over above me. "Either let him in or make him go away... I don't care, just keep him quiet. I have an early patrol before school tomorrow," she said before pressing her pillow over her ears.

I looked out the window and sure enough a silver wolf was looking up expectantly, whining. I rolled my eyes and tiptoed down the stairs to see why he was here.

"Paul... Paul?" I asked once I was outside. The silver wolf was nowhere to be found. I was beginning to think I was going crazy when a very shirtless Paul came loping out of the woods.

"What are you doing here Paul?"

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Who, me or you?" I asked, eyeing him warily.

"Both of us. It's an imprint thing, we sleep better when we're together. It'll be especially hard to sleep alone now that we've spent the past couple nights under the same roof." He smirked at me.

"You're not sleeping in my bed."

"Why not? You let the bloodsucker."

"First of all he was my boyfriend and you are most certainly not. What kind of girl do you think I am? And secondly I'm still mad at you," I said matter of fact.

"For what? I heard Leah explain everything to you, you have nothing to be mad about. That said; I'm not too happy with you either..." He said, stepping closer and pulling me in for a hug that I wasn't exactly expecting. It did feel good though...

"Will you two shut up? I'm trying to sleep here!" Came a shout from my bedroom upstairs where a grumpy Leah was not too nicely glaring from her bunk.

Snickering, Paul took a couple steps back from me. "I promise I'll be good," he said before dropping his sweats and phasing. He gave me the saddest puppy dog eyes and I caved. "Fine. But your sleeping on the floor," I mumbled, opening the door for us and locking it tight behind me.

We climbed the stairs, him right at my heel, and I climbed into bed. The giant silver wolf climbed in right beside me and got comfortable, scooting himself as close to me as possible.

"Paul, I said floor," I mumbled, my eyes getting heavier and heavier by the second as his warmth enveloped me. I heard a wolf-y almost chuckle and felt a wet tongue lick the side of my face. "Gross…" I mumbled, resigned to share the bed with the pushy dog. "I'm still mad at you..." I mumbled, digging my fingers into the velvety-soft spot behind his ears and giving it a scratch as I faded into a nice warm sleep. The soft purr-like rumble from my favorite wolf was the last thing I remember hearing and feeling before falling into one of the best night sleeps I have ever had.

I woke up to my shrill alarm cold and alone on Monday morning, it took me a second to figure out why. Not only was Leah gone, but my silver wolf was as well. I can't believe I let him sleep in here! Though to be fair, I guess I have unknowingly been spending time with him while I was unconscious... What's up with all these mythical creatures wanting in my bed while I'm trying to sleep? Crazy. Crazy, and a bit annoying.

The smell of bacon wafting up the stairs was like a shock to my system, giving me the energy to get dressed for school an head down for one of Sue's mouthwatering breakfasts. To say I was surprised with what I found waiting for me would be an understatement...

Standing at the stove in nothing but ratty cutoffs was none other than my pesky werewolf, chatting with Charlie while buttering toast.

"What's going on?" I asked, completely confused as to why my Dad and my imprint were acting civil after the former slept in my room last night...

"Sue left early to be at the hospital, so I decided to make you, Seth and the chief breakfast," said Paul nonchalantly. Charlie just gave me a grunt and a nod of acknowledgement before going back to his paper.

"Uh..." I mumbled, not sure what to say.

"Don't look so surprised Bella. After living on my own for years I CAN cook," Paul said jokingly, trying to liven the awkward mood in the kitchen. "Granted I can only make breakfast, but if you ask me it's a damn good breakfast."

I sat at the counter next to Charlie a bit shocked and confused before I couldn't take his silence anymore. I finally blurted, "Paul spent the night last night."

"I know kiddo. He's been here every night since the vampire broke in." Charlie said matter of factly.

"You're not mad?" I asked, shocked.

"What I feel about the situation is irrelevant. You are 18 years old, an adult. When I was your age I was having you," he said gruffly, looking anywhere but at me. Paul was across the kitchen smirking at me, probably trying not to laugh at the look on my face.

"You really don't care that a boy is spending the night in my room?" I asked, shocked.

"He's not some boy, he's your imprint. There's no one out there that can protect you better than that boy can, not even me." He said, giving me a pointed look. He then leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Besides, now that you share a room with Leah I know nothing's going to go on because you'll have an audience." His mustache was moving, a dead giveaway that he thought my predicament was funny but had too much self-control to laugh aloud.

I was just about to say something else when a giant plate of bacon and eggs was placed in front of me. Paul gave me a look that screamed 'there better not be anything left on that plate when you're done' before he went back to cleaning the kitchen.

Charlie got up and grabbed his gun belt before giving me a nod and making sure I knew Paul was 'one of the good ones' before he left for work.

"Wow. I don't know what drugs you slipped into Charlie's coffee this morning, but he actually likes you," I said to Paul, digging into my delicious breakfast he had made for me. I have no idea why, but I was a bit annoyed at the lack of concern that Charlie had shown and even more annoyed at the smirk on Paul's face at Charlie's words.

"What can I say Baby? Parents love the wolf man." He said cockily, annoying me even further. I'm sure I gave him a look because he started cracking up, "You're too easy baby. Don't worry, you had just missed the 'touch or hurt my daughter and I will kill you slowly' talk when you came down."

Hearing that; made me feel a bit better. I know Paul and I are soul mates or whatever, but seriously? We've been hanging out for one month and aren't even dating. My head is screaming at me that this is moving too fast, wanting to have my werewolf with me all the time. My head screams stop, but my mind and my body feel like they're acting separately. It's like a magnetic pull, sucking me in with no other option. But do I want another option?

"Keep thinking so hard and you're going to hurt yourself," Paul said, taking me by surprise. I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I hadn't even noticed that he was finished cleaning and had grabbed the seat next to me to plow into his meal.

"Better to over think than never to think at all like SOMEONE I know..."

"Nice one Swan. I was beginning to think you would zombie out on me again," he said between huge mouthfuls.

"With compliments like those it's a wonder you get so many girls."

"Only one I want..." He mumbled, already finished with his plate and starting in on mine. I passed it over to him, completely full even though the food plate looked like I had barely touched it. He gave me a look that said 'you're kidding, right?' before pushing it back to me.

I received a little growl when I pushed back. Rolling my eyes, I told him "not all of us can pack it away like you can Paul. I'm done, thanks." Before he could protest I was up and heading for the stairs to brush my teeth before heading to school. I came back down to an empty kitchen with a note on the counter.

'Had to run; pack thing. See you at school in a few- P'

The school parking lot was packed, everyone bunched in their own little groups. A few of the imprints waved me over, there wasn't a werewolf in sight. Strange.

I was half way through the parking lot, heading for Kim and the newest imprint (whose name escapes me at the moment) when I got a strong tug on the hood of my jacket. Catching myself before I could fall, I turned in time to see Mona reach out to hit me. I stumbled out of the way just in time to miss her slap which made her even angrier.

"You bitch! I can't believe you!" She screamed at me. Not wanting to call any unwanted attention to us I grabbed her, dragging her between a couple cars and away from the crowd.

"What is wrong now? Is this still about the Paul thing? I saw you throw yourself at him Friday and I get the message. You want him."

"You don't get it skank! I put years into that relationship! YEARS! And you sweep in one month from the end of school and take him! God, you're not even pretty!" She screamed, lunging at me again.

I think she had been trying to tackle me or something because the next thing I know she has her arms wrapped around me, trying to knock me down. Before anything too bad could happen, a pair of strong looking bronze hands wrapped around Mona and lifted her effortlessly off of me.

"Paul! Paul, help me!" She called, looking behind me while kicking and screaming at Leah who had a strong hold on her.

I turned and came face to face with Paul who stiffly wrapped me in his arms while checking me over for injury.

"You have to get out of here Bella, it's not safe," he growled, ushering me back to my car.

"What? Why, because of Mona? Paul what's wrong?"

"There's a vampire in the forest. I need to get you home."

"No."

He stopped in his tracks and gave me a hard look before asking me "What do you mean no? You're going. End of discussion."

"Ok, go home and do what? Sit alone and wait for the vampire to attack me? Right; I'm better off here with the wolves and students; nothing's going to happen in a public place Paul." I said, glaring at him.

"I want you home."

"Well I want to graduate and to do that I have to go to the last week of school so I'm staying."

"Don't make me throw you over my shoulder and run you home because I will and you won't be happy about it," he growled, grabbing for my hand to pull me.

"No! I'm not going!"

"Children, please!" Said Leah, wiping her hands on her jeans as she came from the room she had just taken Mona to. "Paul, you heard the girl. She wants to stay here? Fine, Sam wouldn't have a problem with it, especially since the other imprints are here. Leave the girl alone."

With an angry growl, Paul let go of my wrist and turned his glare on Leah who growled right back. I stumbled back behind Paul who, although he was obviously angry, turned and gave me a genuine smile for a second before returning to his growling contest with Leah.

"My imprint knows where her place is Leah, learn yours," he said before turning back to me and giving me a brief kiss on my forehead and stalking off to the woods.

"What does he mean 'know my place'?" I asked Leah, beginning to get angry at Paul for thinking it without even knowing what he meant. What can I say? He has that effect on me.

"He means that you let him protect you and subconsciously accepted him as your imprint." She said, ushering me into the school and into the bathroom. I looked like a hot mess after my fight with Mona and was in desperate need of a little refreshing.

"When did I do that?" I asked, not entirely sure what she meant.

"Right now!" she said exasperatedly, leaning against the sink and watching me brush out the tangles in my hair. "When Paul and I we're fighting in the hallway? You stepped behind him so he could protect you."

"Leah, I knew you wouldn't hurt me..."

"I know. But your body sensed a threat and, without thinking, you stepped behind Paul as protection. It's nothing to be ashamed of, just know what you did and know that now Paul's going to be more persistent than before. Without knowing you caused a physical change in him, he'll want you safe and he'll want you his more than ever. It's a good thing, so wipe that look off your face," she said, rolling her eyes at me. "It's not the end of the world Bella."

Not aware I had a look, on my face; I turned back to the sink to splash some water on my face. My terrible heartburn was back, getting worse by the second. I reached back in my bag for some Tums and Leah started laughing at me.

"That's not going to help you girlie, only a dose of Paul will... You're going to feel the pull the farther apart you get. It's an imprint thing, these won't help," she said, grabbing the bottle and tossing it.

"Leah, this is happening way too fast! I met this guy like a month ago and now he's sleeping in my room and I can feel his emotions and now there's a pull you said... You don't think this is crazy?"

"Not really, no. In fact, I think you would have progressed further if you would stop fighting. I get it; you're scared after the bloodsucker left you that the next guy you like will be the same, but you're wrong. Paul can't survive without you, you are literally his whole life now. Just let yourself feel what you're feeling and stop thinking about what other people are thinking. They have no place in your relationship."

"Why are you pushing this Leah? I thought you hated imprints," I questioned, grabbing my backpack and heading to second period (I guess I had missed the bell when all of the drama was happening).

"I'm angry at Sam and Emily, but I don't HATE imprinting. I know it's an irresistible pull to the person perfect for you. I'm fine with that, I'm just pissed at them for the way they handled the situation. I would have been less mad if they had just been upfront with me instead of sneaking around, but that's a story for another time. Go to your exam review, you need it Swan," she said, pushing me towards my classroom where kids were pouring in.

Leaving Leah, I headed into class and plopped down next to Embry.

"You here to babysit me?"

"The manly term is babe watching, thank you very much! And no, I'm here to pass Spanish," he said, giving me a nudge with his shoulder before cracking up.

"Vampire's gone?"

"For now. He headed into the city, so Sam and Jacob went to take care of it and sent the rest of us to school to 'learn shit'. I did want to check on you though... How's my little Rocky doing?"

"You saw? I'm never going to get used to the pack mind... But I'm fine," I replied, writing notes.

"What did you do to Mona?" He asked, motioning to her empty seat a couple rows ahead of us.

"Don't know, don't care. I want nothing to do with that girl, it's best to just keep her away from me."

"Meow! Paul was right, you are feisty today!" he chuckled before we were shushed by the teacher. Thankfully Embry left me alone with my thoughts. I had bigger things to worry about than Mona... Right now my only concern was exams the next couple days and graduation. Everything else just faded into the background.

**A/N for those who haven't read above... Everyone that reviews will get a preview of the next chapter AND, if I get 50 reviews for this chapter, I will post chapter 8 IN FULL the day it happens! EXCITING! So love it or hate it... Review it!**


	9. Chapter 8

**_Hello everyone! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! You guys are awesome! I posted this for you guys on Friday but for some reason it sent out the notification and didn't post the chapter... No clue why, but hopefully y'all can read it this time! This chapter is a bit slow (there IS drama but this is more of a buildup to drama chapter) but I think it's cute. Let me know what you think! Reviewers will get a preview of next chapter as always, so happy reading!  
><em>**

**_Previously on When Darkness Turns to Light:_**

_I headed into class and plopped down next to Embry._

_"You here to babysit me?"_

_"The manly term is babe watching, thank you very much! And no, I'm here to pass Spanish," he said, giving me a nudge with his shoulder before cracking up._

_"Vampire's gone?"_

_"For now. He headed into the city, so Sam and Jacob went to take care of it and sent the rest of us to school to 'learn shit'. I did want to check on you though... How's my little Rocky doing?"_

_"You saw? I'm never going to get used to the pack mind... But I'm fine," I replied, writing notes._

_"What did you do to Mona?" He asked, motioning to her empty seat a couple rows ahead of us._

_"Don't know, don't care. I want nothing to do with that girl, it's best to just keep her away from me."_

_"Meow! Paul was right, you are feisty today!" he chuckled before we were shushed by the teacher. Thankfully Embry left me alone with my thoughts. I had bigger things to worry about than Mona... Right now my only concern was exams the next couple days and graduation. Everything else just faded into the background._

**Chapter 8:**

All week I had been going to my finals against Paul's better judgment. I was his imprint and, because I was in no immediate danger, he had to accept my defiance even though it was the absolute last thing he wanted. He even tried to run me home a couple times between exams, but I promptly put a stop to it. Finals were completely done now, I had walked across the stage for my diploma this morning and apparently Charlie couldn't be more proud. Angela and Ben even sat in the audience with him and came to give me a big hug afterwards before heading to a family barbeque. Sam and Emily were throwing together a huge bond fire tonight at the beach for Paul, Jared, Kim, Leah and I in honor of our special day and to celebrate Jake, Quill, Embry, and the new imprint Elizabeth becoming seniors. I think, secretly, the bond fire was really their way of trying to take our thoughts off Mona.

Graduation from high school was a very exciting day, but I couldn't shake the depressed mood I was in. I had thought for a second today that maybe I was just nervous about something bad happening at the graduation ceremony this afternoon. I had had nightmares all week about Mona storming the stage or something as I was shaking the principal's hand, but that isn't possible. Not anymore.

Mona and I had been in a huge, stupid fight on Monday before class. The entire school had witnessed it, the entire school watched Leah and Paul pull us apart and watched as Mona took off on her own. I had 'stolen' the one thing she had ever wanted and she couldn't stand to watch us together.

Do I wish things had gone differently? I'm not sad that I stood up for myself. That said, I wish we had never fought that morning. I wish someone had gone after her and calmed her down. Wishing is great, but it will never change the reality of what happened after she left.

Apparently Mona took off crying the second that Leah let her go after pulling the two of is apart. When none of her 'friends' rushed to comfort her, she got in her car and supposedly went home. It wasn't until about 10 that night that night Charlie got a frantic call at the police station; her parents called her in missing when she didn't come home that night and they realized that no one had seen her since she left school that morning. Although the police have to wait a certain amount of time before officially calling in a missing person report, one quick call to Sam had most of the pack out looking for her. Paul was not one of them; he did not want anything to do with that girl. He especially didn't want to leave when apparently he 'couldn't leave me alone for two seconds without me burning the forest down or something' (his words, not mine). I have to admit that a cruel, selfish part of me was glad Paul stayed behind with me; it gave us time to sort out some of our issues and time to really focus on studying for our exams.

It took three days, but Sam finally found Mona's car in Port Angeles... I guess the scent is muffled when a car is used, I couldn't believe how long it took the pack to track her. The car was found in the woods near the water: All of the windows were smashed in, blood covered every surface and no body had been found. The smell of vampire completely saturating the car led us to believe that she wouldn't be found alive if she were ever found at all. Apparently no one could survive if they lost the amount of blood they found in Mona's car. The port is going to be dredged for her body, but no one in the pack is too hopeful of finding anything.

Mona's parents were an absolute wreck when they heard the news according to Charlie. There had been a wake for her at school and a dedication to her at the ceremony today. There wasn't a dry eye in the place when her parents got up to accept her diploma and thank us for all of the kind words people had said on her behalf.

I feel like a terrible person, I'm the reason she's dead. Paul says I'm being stupid and that I should just forget about it, but if it hadn't been for Paul and I imprinting she and I would have never fought. She would have been at school safe instead of in the wake of a seriously homicidal vampire. It's also been sad to know that Paul, Leah and I were the last to talk to her alive and that the last thing she ever did was drive away angry from a catfight. As the entire school saw the confrontation before she left, her parents sought Paul and I out to ask us what had happened and why their daughter had left in such a rage. I tried to tell her as gently as possible that it was just something stupid and that I regret it, but I was too stunned to come up with much. Thankfully Paul stepped up with some genuinely kind words and deflected from the real reason we were fighting: she thought I was a home wrecker who stole her man.

Her parents thanked me for the great help my dad has been to their family and let us know that they are waiting to have the funeral until they come home with the body. No one has the heart to tell them that there probably won't be one, especially as it was vampires that were the ones that killed her. Talking with her parents has made me feel even worse about the incident, though I am so thankful to have Paul here to comfort me.

My nightmares have returned. Not the ones I used to have about the Cullens leaving, those have been gone for quite a long time. New ones take their place, though only on the nights Paul has patrol late. They always start the same way: I'm out by the cliffs, waiting for something when I get yanked from behind. Victoria and the blonde man I hit with my car are there, torturing me. Mona is there too sometimes. But it's not Mona, it's her shredded zombie-esq corpse digging into me with her nails and screaming at me for taking something that was never supposed to be mine.

If Paul is getting off patrol and he feels my panic he usually wakes me up and cuddles with me until I calm down and go back to sleep. Usually it's Leah that shakes me awake from my nightmare and, from a distance, I can usually hear a painful cry from my silver wolf somewhere in the forest.

I still find it weird that Paul knows exactly what I'm feeling, but the more time I spend with him the more emotions I can feel from him at any given time. I talked to Emily about it and she told me it was perfectly normal. In fact, the feeling is supposed to feel stronger when I accepted the imprint, doubling in intensity when (or if) Paul marked me. It's not something I'm too worried about now; it's something that's a long time away.

I had been baking with Sue all afternoon in preparation for the bonfire tonight, the two of us taking turns to shoo Charlie, Seth and Paul out of the kitchen. It was fun to really get to know her, especially now that she was going to be my stepmom. I didn't mention that? All the death happening around us has made Sue and Charlie realize that life's too short to wait. They want to be happy now, and they deserve to be. They've decided to sell the Forks house and permanently move into Sue's. Since there's an empty, pack-owned house on the reservation Leah and I have been invited to move in now that we are about to start college in the area. Although when I say 'Leah and I were invited' I mean Leah was. I think the elders are hoping Paul and I will move in together since he basically sleeps with me every night anyway…

Next week we're going to move all of the furniture and such that we want to keep from Charlie's house to the new place and donate everything else, but that we'll worry about then. The boys are loading up the truck and 'secretly' sneaking brownies and cupcakes out of the containers. They were being pretty obvious about it, leaving wrappers on the ground and even forgetting to wipe the frosting from their faces… Sue and I were highly amused at their antics, though thankfully we had made enough food that a dozen of two missing treats wouldn't make too much of an impact.

"Ok Sue, I think I'm going to head over to see if Emily needs help or anything, lord knows she's basically feeding an army tonight. Paul? You coming?" I asked, grabbing the last tray and heading out the front door.

"See you in a couple hours Bella!" Yelled Sue as Paul closed the door behind me.

"You want me to drive so you can hold that? I'll make sure to drive slowly," offered Paul who was already holding open the passenger side door of my truck open for me. I climbed in carefully so as to not send my stack of cupcakes tumbling before handing him the keys from my pocket.

"Thanks for all your help loading and I'm sure unloading all of these pastries for me. It would have taken so much longer had you not been there. "

"Any time you have sweets of any kind you need help 'loading into the car' I can pretty much guarantee my services," He said smirking, leaning over to give my forehead a quick peck before carefully pulling out of my driveway and into the street.

"Haha, very funny." I said sarcastically, elbowing him in the ribs.

Paul chuckled, probably at the fact that elbowing him did more damage to me than it did to him. "You have been baking quite a bit lately…. Not that I'm complaining. Trying to fatten me up?"

"Fatten YOU up? Please. I would have to tie you down and force feed you for days before you would gain an ounce!"

"I love it when you talk dirty to me," he said, giving me his signature smirk. "Seriously though, is something wrong?"

"Not really… I guess I've just been trying to keep my mind off the whole Mona thing."

"How many times do I have to tell you it wasn't your fault before you believe me?" He asked seriously, pulling over in front of Sam and Emily's house before shutting off the car and turning to face me. He gently pulled my hand between his and gently rubbed a thumb soothingly over my knuckles, calming me down in the way we were just learning we could do for each other. "Mona is dead because some filthy bloodsuckers attacked her and drained her. She's dead because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I know you think it's your fault babe, but I promise you it's not. She could have gone anywhere after the fight and she chose to go to the city. You didn't make her leave school and you had no part in her decision to go. Ok?"

I looked into his eyes and could literally see the sincerity pouring from them, but his words could never erase the guilt I felt because of my part in her death. "If it weren't for me the vampires wouldn't be in town in the first place…"

"No. It's the Cullen's fault that they didn't finish off that woman when they had the chance. It's their fault that there are any vampires in this town to begin with." He said, the anger for them leeching into his voice.

"Do you hate them for what they've done to you?" I asked quietly, almost nervous to hear the answer for some reason.

He gave me a long look before letting go of my hand and cradling my head in his hands to make sure I couldn't escape his powerful gaze. "Am I mad at them for coming? Yes. I'm mad that a vampire was ever in your life. That he got to love you, kiss you, touch you…. It drives me crazy sometimes. I am happy that they are gone, but I will never be ok with how they left you."

"That's not exactly what I meant… Are you mad that you're a werewolf because they were here?"

"I love being a werewolf. I love having a family and a place that I finally feel like I belong. I can't say that sometimes I don't wish it were different, but I am content with my life right now. Besides…" He said, letting go of me and jumping out of the car, heading to open the door for me. " This imprint thing doesn't suck as much as I thought it would," he said before throwing me over his shoulder and running me into the house. Paul's quick reflexes thankfully saved the cupcakes that I had been trying so hard to protect. I would have killed them if they had dropped…

A Quil, Embry, Sam and Brady were sitting on the couches in the living room as we passed through, each looking a bit shocked at our antics as Paul gently placed me on the ground and went to start unloading the car. "I think he might need a little help out there if you guys have a spare couple of seconds!" I said over my shoulder, heading for the kitchen.

"Sam! Make sure the boys don't eat anything, dinner will be ready in an hour!" Yelled Emily as the boys practically plowed each other over to get to the desserts in the back of the truck. We both chuckled as we heard a chorus of groans coming in from outside.

Emily gave me a big hug and whispered in my ear, "It looks like things with you and Paul are going well!"

"Well… He hasn't done anything to piss me off today, so I guess that's an improvement."

"Hey! I heard that!" Came a yell from the other room, causing us to burst into giggles again as a comically outraged-looking Paul stuck his head into the kitchen from the back door and stuck his tongue out at us before carrying food down the trail with his pack brothers.

"It's good to see you two looking happy. You deserve to, I know the past couple months hasn't been easy on you guys, especially this week…" Emily said, passing me a cutting board and a knife so I could help her finish the fruit salad she had been working on. "So do you know what you're going to do now that you've graduated? Any college plans?"

"I know it's stupid, but I never applied to college. When I was dating Edward I had planned on becoming a family member, so college wasn't on my agenda. When they first left…. Well, before I knew about the pack I was completely devastated. I didn't even want to think about my present let alone my future. Now though…. I'm not even sure what to do. I know I can't really leave anymore because of the imprint, I just don't really know what my options are."

"What about Paul, what's he going to do?"

"Charlie's working hard to get him to consider joining the force, I think he just might like it. He already has quite a bit of experience protecting people…" I said, barely missing my finger as the knife sliced into the fruit. Emily and I worked silently for a few moments, both lost in our own thoughts as the guys finished unloading the truck and began roughhousing outside. Paul made a quick appearance to give me back my car keys before heading back outside to the rest of the roughhousing guys.

"I'm going to open a catering company," Emily said out of the blue, finishing up slicing her fruit and whipping some of the juices on her apron.

"Emily, that's great! When?" I asked, finishing up right after her and heading to the sink to wash my hands.

"Sam and a couple of the boys have been fixing up one of the old houses on the reservation, with the encouragement of the elders, to bring in some much needed income. We thought it would also be a more efficient way to cook for the ever-growing and ever-hungry pack. I've already talked to Kim about it, I was wondering if maybe you would like to be a partner as well? It could be fun having all of the imprints working together!" She said enthusiastically.

"Oh wow… Emily, I would love to! What do you need me to do?"

"At the moment there's nothing to do. It would be cool if you could help make some of the upcoming payments on equipment, but everything else has pretty much been taken care of by the counsel. Don't worry, we'll talk more about it tonight, right now I'm going to pull some stuff out of the oven, it would be awesome if you could round up a few guys to finish taking the hotdogs, sausages and hamburger patties down to the beach for the barbeque." Before she had even finished asking me we had a line of ready and willing guys ready to take the coolers down to the beach. I headed down with the group and grabbed a seat next to Kim by the fire as the boys horsed around in the water and on the beach. It looked like it was going to be a surprisingly fun and relaxing party.

**Love it? Hate it? Review it for a sneek peek of the next chapter!**


	10. Chapter 9

**I know, I know, it's been months since I've posted anything... I'm so sorry! If there is anyone out there still reading I want to thank you. Just for you guys this chapter is pure fluff. Marshmallow fluff. Nutella marshmallow fluff. And, I believe, the beginning of a romantic relationship for Bells and Paul... Though it IS the calm before the storm. Thanks again if you're still reading this! As of now I am officially back to my regular posting schedule- every other Thursday! And, as always, reviewers get a special sneak peek into the next chapter! Merry Christmas Eve!  
><strong>

_**Previously on WDTTL:**_

"At the moment there's nothing to do. It would be cool if you could help make some of the upcoming payments on equipment, but everything else has pretty much been taken care of by the counsel. Don't worry, we'll talk more about it tonight, right now I'm going to pull some stuff out of the oven, it would be awesome if you could round up a few guys to finish taking the hotdogs, sausages and hamburger patties down to the beach for the barbeque." Before she had even finished asking me, we had a line of ready and willing guys ready to take the coolers down to the beach. I headed down with the group and grabbed a seat next to Kim by the fire as the boys horsed around in the water and on the beach. It looked like it was going to be a surprisingly fun and relaxing party.

_**Chapter 9:**_

Kim smiled warmly at me as I sat down before looking back out towards the boys roughhousing in the water not far from where we were sitting. "It's amazing," she said, entranced by Jared throwing Seth over his shoulder before dunking the both of them in the water.

"What is?" I asked, watching as Paul joined in the fun, spraying the others with water before diving into the waves himself.

"Our guys are eighteen years old and they act less mature than the 13 year olds," she teased, knowing full well the boys in the water could hear. A chorus of jokingly hurt replies came from the water as Kim and I smirked at each other, loving how carefree everyone was and enjoying the chance to tease them about it.

Giggling, Kim and I fell into an easy conversation about the catering business Emily had talked about. Kim was just mentioning taking a few culinary classes at the local community college when suddenly she was airborne, tossed over the Jared's shoulder, who was quickly running with her towards the water. Before I could react I was picked up by a bronze pair of arms and thrown over a familiar shoulder.

"Paul! Paul, please, no!" I giggled as he tickled me mercilessly, heading for the water.

"What was that?" He teased.

"Please! Put me down!" Kim yelled, thrashing in Jared's arms as he headed deeper into the water. "Please! The water is so cold!"

"You hear that Paul? I think the girls want us to put them down," Jared called out to my captor, chuckling.

"That what you want, baby?" He asked me as I struggled to escape the brutal tickling.

"Please… Please stop!" I laughed, unable to control myself.

"You heard the girls Jared, lets put them down," Paul said before grabbing me from his shoulder and throwing me into the ocean.

Shocked at the sudden chill of the water and the unexpected act of being thrown I found myself fighting to the surface, choking on the water I swallowed on the way down. Paul immediately rushed over, the look of giddy joy on his face quickly replaced with guilt and worry at the thought of any danger coming to me. I quickly waved him away, letting him know I was fine as I coughed up more water.

"I'm sorry babe, I didn't know…." Paul trailed off, nervously patting my back to help me stop choking.

I chuckled, splashing him playfully when I had finally caught my breath. "I'm fine! But a little warning next time would be nice…"

"You might be fine with Paul dunking you, but me? I'm pissed. Someone's in the dog house tonight…" Kim huffed, turning her back on her wolf. Jared, who immediately looked repentant, swam over to her and tried to wrap his arms around her in apology. Kim smacked his hand away, giving me a little wink before quickly turning around and dunking his head under water. This started an all out water war, the other wolves joining in to dunk the older boys.

"Dinner's ready!" Emily yelled, watching the boys run from the water and eagerly line up for food. The girls slowly followed, laughing at the eagerness of their wolves. "Uh uh uh! You boys know the rules! Ladies first!" Emily said, shooing the boys from the line of food. The boys obediently stepped back and made sure the girls and the elders grabbed all they wanted and were seated before they pounced on the buffet table.

As the sun began to set and the air grew chilly I couldn't help but shiver… "I hate the cold," I mumbled, wrapping my arms around myself with the need to warm up.

"I told you to bring a jacket," Paul said through a mouth full of food, plopping down on the log next to me in nothing but a pair of wet cutoff shorts.

"I wouldn't have needed it if SOMEONE hadn't thrown me in the water…" I said, glaring at Paul.

"Don't worry babe, I'll keep you warm." He said, pulling me onto his lap before turning to Jared and talking about some tv show. Kim was contentedly nestled in Jared's arms, nodding off.

I, myself, felt a little exhausted, but also felt warm and safe in the carefree environment I had been a part of all day.

Leah sat down next to me on the log and gave me a brief smile before digging into her huge pile of food. Someone across the fire cleared their throat and I looked up to see Jacob glaring at Paul and I. His gaze made me extremely uncomfortable and I unconsciously distanced myself from Paul, extracting myself from his lap and sitting back on the log beside him. Paul turned to look at me and I caught a brief look of hurt cross his features in my peripheral vision until his eyes landed on Jacob across the fire. With a determined smirk across the fire, Paul possessively put his arm around me and pulled me closer to him before giving a head nod to the sneering Jacob who chose that moment to get up and storm off.

"If he was really your friend he would be happy for you." Paul whispered in my ear, grabbing for the rest of the chips on my discarded plate.

"If you really cared about my feelings you wouldn't go out of your way to hurt my friend." I said back, staring guiltily at Jacob's retreating form.

"That's not fair, you know how I feel about the way he looks at you." Paul said, narrowing his eyes at me. "Though I can't exactly blame him for loving you… It's hard not to." He said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Ha ha," I said dryly, finding absolutely nothing funny about that at all.

"Come on babe, your like a supernatural magnet. The less human something is, the more it's attracted to you…" He joked, knocking his knee against mine.

"Rude!" I said, nudging him back. "So what does that make you? The least human of the beasts?"

Paul let out a playful growl before leaning close to my ear and giving it a playful nip. "Baby, I'll be whatever you want me to be..."

"Dude! That's like my sister! Gross!" yelled Seth from a few seats down, before throwing a flip flop at Paul and laughing with the other wolves. Leah, still sitting on the other side of me, made some serious gagging noises before telling us to get a room. Completely embarrassed that the entire pack had heard Paul's attempt at taking my mind off Jacob, I hid my face in my hands. I had never been more relieved in my life than when Billy called everyone to attention to hear the pack's legends.

Sometime in the middle of one of the stories, Jacob joined back up with the group, sitting silently and making a point of avoiding eye contact with me. It wasn't until the elders and most of the younger pack members had gone home that he even acknowledged that I was here.

"Bella, can I talk to you? Alone?" He asked, glaring at Paul who had tightened his hold on my hand and had begun to shake.

"Sure Jake, let's take a walk." I said.

**Love the fluff? Hate it and want a more dramatic storyline back? Please review and let me know! All reviewers get a special sneak peek into chapter 10!  
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	11. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone! I know I said I was back to my normal posting schedule (a chapter every other week) but I couldn't resist posting chApter ten for everyone! Thank you so much for the reviews from last chapter! This chapter is for everyone who didn't like the fluff last chapter, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I do have a plan for future chapters and I want to know... Would you like to see a future chapter in a new point of view? I would love to write one, but if you guys don't then I won't! **

**********The poll is on my profile page so please let me know! (Or you could review...) Enjoy!***********

**Previously on When Darkness Turns To Light:**

Completely embarrassed that the entire pack had heard Paul's attempt at taking my mind off Jacob, I hid my face in my hands. I had never been more relieved in my life than when Billy called everyone to attention to hear the pack's legends.

Sometime in the middle of one of the stories, Jacob joined back up with the group, sitting silently and making a point of avoiding eye contact with me. It wasn't until the elders and most of the younger pack members had gone home that he even acknowledged that I was here.

**Chapter 10**

"Bella can I talk to you? Alone?" Jake asked, glaring at Paul who had tightened his hold on my hand had had begun to shake unconsciously.

"Sure Jake, let's take a walk," I said, trying to shake off the unhappy Paul who refused to drop my hand. After a couple moments of struggling it was pretty obvious that Paul had absolutely no intention of letting go.

"You go ahead, I'll meet you on the trail in a minute," I said to Jacob who rolled his eyes and stormed off.

"I have a really bad feeling about this, I don't want you going off with him." Paul stated once we were 'alone', clearly unhappy.

"He's my best friend Paul. He's hurting and it's all my fault, I need to talk to him." I said, trying to reason with the angry boy sitting next to me.

"He's volatile and might hurt you. You should stay here."

"He's not going to hurt me Paul," I said rolling my eyes and gently prying my hand loose. "Besides... You and the rest of the pack are just a yell away, right? You have nothing to worry about." I said giving his forehead a quick kiss before I headed towards the forest trail, completely ignoring his protesting growls. I raced off to Jake before my angry wolf could protest further (or worse, physically try to stop me), catching him at the head of the trail waiting.

"You shook the bodyguard I see..."

"I know we need to talk, but can we please leave Paul out of it? He's only trying to keep me safe." I said, walking a ways up the rocky sand to the tide pools about a quarter of a mile up the trail.

"What do you mean 'keep him out of it?' He IS it! Can't you see what he's doing? He's completely manipulating you! He stole you away and now he's telling you lies so you won't be my friend anymore. That's really lame, Bells."

"I have no idea what you're talking about Jacob, Paul hasn't manipulated me or told me not to be friends with anyone. Even if he did, I'm a big girl and I can make my own decisions."

"Right. He doesn't influence you at all." Jake said sarcastically, picking up a couple stones and throwing them as hard as he could into the forest.

"I can't say that he doesn't influence my decisions, but I CAN tell you he doesn't make them for me. Edward was controlling enough for a lifetime and look where that got me… Crying alone in the forest floor. I had completely lost myself… If you think I'm going to let someone treat me that way again you are seriously deluded and obviously don't know me at all anymore."

"Maybe I don't," Jake mumbled so softly that I wasn't sure if he meant for me to hear it or not.

We stopped at the edge of the forest in silence and found a dry looking piece of driftwood to settle down on for a little while so we could continue our conversation. The waves were calming and peaceful, so different from the excitement and crazy antics from the party a quarter mile away.

"You've changed." He said, staring out into the distance, a sad and lonely look falling across his face.

I grabbed his hand, wanting to comfort my friend but trying not to give him the wrong idea. "I have changed Jake, but so have you. That's what happens when you grow up."

"I don't know if I like it, Bells. I want my friend back, I want the girl I was in love with." He said dejectedly, kicking sand into the water with his feet and avoiding my gaze.

"I'll always be here for you Jacob, but you know as well as I do that we were never meant to be anything more than friends. You always have been and always will be my best friend, I'm so sorry that I can't be more than that for you." I said, giving him a brief hug. "You need to let this go…It's putting a strain on the pack and you're closing yourself off from the possibilities of another girl coming into your life. Don't you want to meet your soul mate? The girl made just for you?"

"You are the girl for me!" Jake yelled, pushing me away from him and storming a bit away from me.

I sighed, beginning to get a bit frustrated that he was being so stubborn. "Look Jake, even before I became an imprint I wasn't romantically in love with you. You're my best friend and I miss you, but that's all you ever were to me and all ever will be."

"It doesn't have to be that way! When I become Alpha I can order Paul..."

"NO! You can't do that to your pack brother and you absolutely CAN NOT do that to me! I hate that everyone keeps taking my choices away from me! Why can't I just choose for myself?" I cried, the anger almost overwhelming me at my friend's stubbornness.

"You think Paul is going to give you choices? You think he will give you the life you want? The life that you deserve? If you do then you're completely delusional. I know you're smarter than this Bella."

"You have no idea what you're talking about," I said, getting more and more angry. I wasn't the only one though.

"Paul is the most controlling jerk I have ever met! It runs in his family, he can't help it. He is just like his father: a lying manwhore who will say and do anything to get his way! You're just the next slut he wants to stick it to just because he can, just like his dad did when HE lived here! Can't you see? He'll never change, and apparently neither will you." Jake screamed at me before storming off in the opposite way of the trail we had come from. In the distance I could hear someone screaming my name, but I was so angry with Jacob that I didn't even care. I completely ignored the voice coming closer and my instincts that were telling me to run as I chased after the trembling werewolf.

"You say I've changed? Look at yourself Jacob Black! I don't even recognize you anymore! How could you say such horrible things about someone who loves you like a brother? Someone who supposedly took something that was never yours in the first place? You are mean and selfish!" I screamed after him. He stopped in place, slowly turning to face me a couple meters away while shaking violently. "Where did my friend go?" I asked in , taking a step forward even though the voice in my head (that sounded annoyingly like Paul) was shouting at me to run.

The look on Jacob's face….it was absolutely heartbreaking. For a moment I caught a flash of my Jake, the boy who had taught me to ride motorcycles and had picked me up when I was emotionally damaged. As quickly as it had appeared it was gone, replaced with a look of hatred and disgust directed towards me that I had only seen once before, though on a very different enemy.

We stood like this for a second that seemed to last forever before Jacob's anger got the better I him and he phased, shredding his clothes and tripling in size in a matter of seconds. I was still in shock, giving him the time he needed to get the upper hand and begin to angrily circle around me, checking for weakness I'm sure. He must have known that Paul was on his way, but he kept his eyes on the 'prize' and never took his eyes off me as he angrily circled his prey.

I could feel Paul long before I could see him, the painful pull in my chest disappearing. The pain became less intense as he neared us.

"What are you doing Jacob? I won't be the girl you want me to be so you're going to kill me? If you can't have me then Paul can't have me either? It's not worth it Jake, I'm not worth everything you will lose," I said, trying to appeal to his sense of right and wrong. It was obvious by his angry snarl and the fur rising on his body as he crept closer that it wasn't working at all.

I tried to take a couple hurried steps backwards, never taking my eyes off the angry predator in front of me. He lunged at me, angrily snapping his teeth inches from my feet when he was suddenly jerked back and thrown down the beach by a growling silver blur.

When the blur stilled and crouched in front of me, I could see that it was Paul protecting me yet again from a situation I had unwittingly found myself in. The rust colored wolf angrily circled him but Paul held his ground, crouched protectively in front of me.

My mind was shouting at me: move! Run! Walk! Scream! Do something! unfortunately my body was disobedient, watching as the friend who I thought I couldn't live without prepared to attack the boy who said I was his everything.

The snarling from both wolves was deafening, neither willing to back down, neither willing to lose. Slowly the rest of the pack trickled in from the forest and surround them but neither Paul nor Jacob moved so much as an ear in the direction they had come from.

Before I could comprehend that anyone had moved there was a clash as loud as thunder as the wolf bodies met in mid-air, both creatures moving so fast and so powerfully that it was hard to distinguish anything but the snapping of teeth and the howls of anger.

After what seemed like forever, the largest of the wolves stepped forward and viciously growled. The pure black wolf was obviously Sam, his strength and power practically rolling off of him in waves as he attempted to take control of the situation.

The wolves immediately broke apart; one freezing on the spot and not moving so much as a muscle, the other dropping to a low crouch and turning his anger and rage at the newcomer.

One more angry snarl from the black wolf and all the boys in the clearing immediately shifted back to their human form save for the silver wolf who was back to crouching protectively in front of me and growling at any of the half naked boys who so much as glanced my way.

Quil, always planning ahead, tossed a couple spare pairs of pants in Jacob and Paul's direction, both the wolf and the boy completely ignoring them and continuing their standoff.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Black? Attacking an imprint? Attacking your brother with intent to harm? I don't know what the hell kind of example you are trying to make for your pack mates, but this kind of behavior from a future leader of the pack is completely unacceptable! We protect our imprints; we don't try to kill them! What do you have to say for yourself?" Sam screamed, angrier than I had ever seen before. Here he is trying to calm down the two boys and he can barely stop himself from phasing.

Jacob was basically ignoring everything but the wolf in front of him, speaking directly to Paul when he finally replied minutes later, "I see no brother, I only see a pig and his newest whore."

The growling from Paul doubled in volume and viciousness. Jacob coolly shrugged it off, turning on his heel and phasing before heading back into the forest.

Sam stopped him before he could take another step. "Go cool down Jacob. I know you're angry, but what you have done here tonight is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. You will be called upon by the council in the coming days to explain and atone for your actions. You are not to see or speak to Bella Swan or Paul Lahote until that day. Understand?"

The wolf turned and gave Sam a long look before emitting a low growl and storming off.

**So what did you think? Love it? Hate it? Review and get a sneak peek of Chapter 11! And don't forget the poll on the profile page!**


	12. Chapter 11

****Hello wonderful readers! I know I am supposed to be posting tomorrow but it's snowing outside and i thought if any of you were enjoying a snowday like I am you might enjoy a little Paul/Bella drama to warm you back up! The poll on my profile is still open so if you would like to see a future character POV (or not) let me know! You can even leave a comment about who's POV you would like to see! As always all reviewers get a preview of the next chapter. Enjoy!****

****Previously on WDTTL:****

The growling from Paul doubled in volume and viciousness. Jacob coolly shrugged it off, turning on his heel and phasing before heading back into the forest.

Sam stopped him before he could take another step. "Go cool down Jacob. I know you're angry, but what you have done here tonight is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. You will be called upon by the council in the coming days to explain and atone for your actions. You are not to see or speak to Bella Swan or Paul Lahote until that day. Understand?"

The wolf turned and gave Sam a long look before emitting a low growl and storming off.

****Chapter 11****

It took me a few minutes after Jacob left before I could say anything, let alone move. I literally just sat there in the sand, staring at the place my friend had disappeared as the grey wolf stood guard over me. Any time one of the pack made a move to help me up they received a vicious growl and a warning snap of teeth.

I began to feel light headed so I reached for the only thing around, a front paw, and leaned against it as I tried hard not to pass out. Paul stood completely still over me, protectively. I didn't even realize that he knew I was struggling until he let out a quiet little whine, wanting to help but unwilling to stand down.

"Bella," Seth called before rolling me a bottle of water, making sure to keep his distance from Paul. I gratefully took large gulps from the water, barely aware of Sam ordering the rest of the pack to head up the beach and let us be.

"You ok, Bella? I can order Paul to go cool off if you need me to..." Sam called over to me, ignoring the growls from my protector.

"No, I want him with me. I trust him, he would never hurt me." I replied, rubbing the wolf's arm soothingly as the growls softened. Sam shrugged his shoulders and started heading back towards the campfire. "Give us a shout if you need anything," he yelled before leaving us alone.

Paul waited for a few minutes after the pack had left before relaxing his position and silently sniffing me, presumably checking me for cuts and scrapes. He let out a soft growl when he saw the large cut and bruise on the back of my thigh from where I had scraped myself falling backwards. He gently licked my wound before I could protest, probably knowing I wouldn't let him if he asked... Gross.

Suddenly Paul stood alert, head whipping around before emitting a loud howl and growled towards the woods, the fur on his back standing on end. It wasn't long before Leah came through the trees laughing. "Scared that a big bad rabbit is going to attack your mate? Chill the heck out!" She laughed before disappearing back into the woods.

Paul, growling after her, turned back around before taking a seat in the sand and curling himself around me. I appreciated him staying with me, I was still a little too shaken up to move. The wolf placed his large head in my lap, giving me a look... Before I knew it I was giving him an ear rub and he was making a rough purring noise. We stayed that way, watching the sunset and just being together as the weight of the day finally settled.

"Do you think things will ever be ok again?" I asked out of the blue, staring out at the ocean. The silver wolf let out a little whine before nuzzling my neck with his nose. "I just want everything to go back to how it was."

Paul let out a little growl before turning his head away from me. "I didn't mean with us!" I said, pulling his ear until he turned to look at me again. "I just mean... I want my friend back. I want to go back to a time when we were all safe and not wondering when a vampire is going to try to come and kill all our friends. I just... I miss normal," I sighed, giving the wolf a scratch on the head. Paul gave my hand a few comforting licks before leaning his head back on my lap.

"Do you think Jacob is going to be ok?" I asked before receiving a harsh growl from the head in my lap. "I know you don't like him Paul... Maybe I shouldn't either after the way he has treated me, but he'll always be my friend. I just wish the two of you would go back to getting along. I hate to think of him out there all alone..." The wolf rolled his eyes at me before settling back down. I could tell Paul was getting annoyed but I was getting more and more worried by the second.

"Do you think you can phase back so we can really talk? I'm just… I'm nervous and scared." I told him, wrapping my arms around myself.

The wolf gave a little huff before getting up, grabbing the cutoffs and trotting back into the forest. Moments later, Paul appeared and sat a little ways away from me on the sand. "I really don't want to have a little pity party for your little 'pet' Jacob, especially after what he just did to you and I. He basically just tried to kill you and maybe he would have if Sam hadn't alpha-ordered him to stay away from you. Don't you get it, Bella? That boy is not your friend. A friend would never treat you that way and I don't want to sit around all night talking about 'poor Jacob'."

"He was just mad, Paul. He had a little crush and things escalated. He would never have hurt me and I just feel bad." I said, not quite sure if I was trying to convince Paul or myself.

"What the fuck, Swan? Did we even witness the same thing tonight? Your BEST FRIEND went rogue tonight! He completely lost it and tried to KILL US! KILL US!" Paul yelled, grabbing my shoulders and giving me a rough shake.

"That… That wasn't… That wasn't my Jake…" I said, beginning to tear up.

"Excuse me? 'Your' Jake? I'm going to assume that you meant your FRIEND Jake and ask who the hell you think it was, if it wasn't him. Maybe it was his evil twin! Maybe aliens abducted him and they made him act like this? Oh! I know! He must be possessed, right? Like in one of those ghost movies you love to watch so much? That must be it! Come on Bella, use your head," he said sarcastically rolling his eyes.

"I just…"

"You just what? You just want to have your cake and eat it too, is that it?" He growled out at me, beginning to shake.

"What the hell are you talking about Paul? I'm just mad that I'm losing another friend! Ok? Is that what you want to hear? How everyone in my life leaves me? My family is torn apart, all of my high school friends are gone, even the Cullens left me…"

"This is about your stupid vampire?" Paul asked, the shaking getting so much worse.

"I don't care about Edward! He left me alone in the woods in the dark! I was talking about Alice and Emmett, they were my best friends and then they just left me with no warning and no goodbyes. Now Jacob flips his shit on me. I'm allowed to be upset, ok?" I yelled back at him, the anger from earlier coming back to me at full force.

"Are you upset that another person is leaving you? Or are you mad that it was your precious Jake?"

"You don't have to be such an ass about it, Paul! I'm allowed to be upset about this! My best friend made a mistake- granted a huge mistake- and now he's out in the woods all alone! Someone should go after him!"

"No one is going to go after him unless they have a death wish, especially after the way he attacked you. If he tried to kill someone he supposedly 'loves' then it's pretty obvious there is no reason he wouldn't hesitate to attack someone else." He said, sitting next to me and running a hand through his already messy hair. "I know you're a sweet girl and you can't help but see the best in people. Just… Just be smart about the people you trust. Ok? I just hate that you let him hurt you and, knowing you, you're going to keep letting him hurt you because you see something in him that might not be there anymore."

"You don't know him like I do Paul. You didn't see him before all this; you didn't see the boy who picked me up when I thought I couldn't be any lower. You never saw the boy who came to me crying when his mom passed away all those years ago. He's Family." I said, looking out across the water and reflecting on the past.

"I might not have known who he was growing up; the two of us were never really friends. But the past year I have been in his head; we've shared a pack mind. I know him now better than you ever could and I KNOW he has changed. He's not the same boy he was before. He's totally off his rocker. Please Bella… I'm not asking you not to talk to him, I'm just asking you not to see him for the time being."

"You can't ask me not to see my friend, Paul. I would never ask you not to see Jared."

"Jared didn't try to kill us! I just want you safe and I want you to be smart about how you handle things with him going forward. I know you're strong and you can handle yourself in most situations, but this is an animal that can tear a vampire to shreds with the snap of his teeth, a human would never stand a chance." He said, grabbing my hand and rubbing comforting circles across my knuckles. "Lets stop arguing about this, babe. The decision might not even be ours. We are going to have to wait until the council meeting to hear Jacob's fate."

"I didn't even want to think about that… What do you think will happen?" I asked, a cold shudder running down my spine.

"I don't know, Bella," Paul said, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me close. "He's supposed to be the future leader of the tribe so it may be just a slap on the wrist…"

"But you don't think it will be?" I asked him, the knot in my stomach growing by the second.

"Honestly? No. There are two rules that, above all, must be followed. Don't tell anyone outside the circle the secret and absolutely never, under any circumstance, is it ok to harm an imprint in any way. Accidents happen, and that's understandable, but to purposely try to kill an imprint is absolutely unacceptable and I doubt the council will treat this lightly. He had already broken the first rule just by telling you about us in the first place."

"But I am an imprint, I deserve to know about you guys."

Paul nodded in agreement. "You absolutely deserved to know and that's why Jake didn't get in any trouble for telling you. I doubt the council will be so forgiving twice."

We sat there in silence for a while, both reflecting on what had happened today and the uncertainty of what was to come. Neither of us had much more to say to each other. We watched the moon rise over the agitated water and, surrounded by Paul's warmth, I felt my eyes slowly begin to close.

**Love it? Hate it? Review it!**


	13. Chapter 12

****Guess what everyone? I got my 400th review this week! I am SO EXCITED! So I posted this chapter early to celebrate, I hope you guys enjoy! It's a little bit of fluff, I thought these two deserved that after all the drama that has happened in the past chapter and the big surprise coming in the next chapter. I hope you guys like it! Any reviewer will get a sneak peek of the next chapter! See you guys in a few weeks!****

****Previously on WDTTL:****

We sat there in silence for a while, both reflecting on what had happened today and the uncertainty of what was to come. Neither of us had much more to say to each other. We watched the moon rise over the agitated water and, surrounded by Paul's warmth, I felt my eyes slowly begin to close.

****Chapter 12****

I'm not sure what it was that woke me, but the second I opened my eyes I began to panic. This is not my bed... This isn't my room... This isn't even my house... Where the heck am I? What am I doing here? How did I even get here? I was on the beach and... "Paul!" I yelled in a panic, worried that maybe something had happened to him. I heard a rustling from the other side of the door and grew even more panicked. Who was it? Did they want to hurt me? I crouched behind the bed, watching as the door to the room was thrown open and someone burst in.

"Bella? Baby, are you okay?" Asked a familiar voice as someone came to me and wrapped their arms around me. It took me a minute to realize it was Paul. "Did something scare you? Did you have a nightmare? Your heart is beating so quickly."

"How did you...?"

"Wolf hearing. I can hear a mouse in the forest a mile away, your heartbeat in the next room? Piece of cake," he said, rubbing my back and trying to calm me back down.

"Paul... Where are we? How did I get here?" I asked, settling down a bit.

"We fell asleep on the beach. It was too late to take you to your home so I took you to mine."

"Your house?"

He chuckled, "Yes, baby, my house."

"Where did you sleep? You didn't have to give me the bed."

"I was sleeping on the couch, I didn't want to disturb you when I went on patrol in a few hours." He said sleepily, trying to get me settled back in bed.

"You didn't want to disturb me, so you put me in someone's bed in a strange room all alone? Good call," I said sarcastically, equally touched and disturbed.

"It wasn't some random bed, Swan. It was MY bed in MY room..."

"But I didn't know that when I woke up."

"Because I didn't want to wake you!" He reasoned, laughing at me.

"Hmm... In the future I would prefer you wake me up and let me know where I am before leaving me alone. And I never seem to hear you leave for patrol so you don't have to sleep on the couch."

"Let me see if I'm hearing you correctly," Paul said with the biggest smirk that I had ever seen on his face. "You want to sleep with me."

"That's not what I said!" I tried to argue, making his smirk widen.

"You don't want to sleep in my bed without me. Aww," he joked, giving me a little nudge with his elbow.

"All I said was the next time you take me to an undisclosed location I would prefer to know where I am before you leave." I said before immaturely sticking my tongue out at him.

"Mhmm. Sure. I see how it is. You're embarrassed because I know you want to sleep with me."

"Whatever..." I yawned, leaning against Paul as my eyes started to get heavy again.

"Babe, you should get back to sleep," Paul said as he pulled the covers back and began helping me back into bed. "I'm just going to go and..."

"You should stay," I interrupted, feeling guilty about kicking him out of his own bed.

"You want me to sleep with you? For real?"

"It doesn't make sense for you to sleep on the couch in your own house! Besides, you pretty much sleep on my floor every night. There's more than enough room for your wolf and I."

Paul smirked at me before turning and leaving to phase. Moments later the silver wolf trotted in and jumped onto the bed next to me. It moved as close as it possibly could to me before curling up and snuggling into my side. I was instantly warmed by the huge animal next to me and gave it a little ear scratch as thanks. The wolf emitted the rough purr as it nuzzled my hand, lulling me to sleep.

I woke briefly when Paul got up to go on patrol and tossed and turned with nightmares after he left. I must have been asleep for a while because I woke up to a violent shaking.

"Wake up, Swan, you're having a nightmare."

I opened my eyes groggily to see a concerned looking Paul shaking me.

"Are you okay?" He asked as my heart settled back down. I nodded, trying to smile reassuringly. "What were you dreaming about? You were screaming so loudly it scared Jared when he went to check on the house."

"I... I don't remember. I think someone was chasing me."

"Well you're awake and safe, nothing to worry about..." He trailed off as my stomach let out a loud grumble. "Do you want to go to the diner and get breakfast? I've spent so much time either patrolling or at the Clearwater's house that I haven't really shopped for food in a while."

"That's alright. We should just go to the house, I need to brush my teeth and take a shower anyways. I can still feel sand all over my legs from the beach last night. Gross," I said, getting out of bed and grabbing my stuff from the chair by the door. Half way to the front door I realized the wolf-boy wasn't following me. "Coming?"

"Just enjoying the view," he smirked, coming up behind me and giving my butt a slap before jogging a couple steps ahead of me.

"Hey! Rude!" I said, chasing after him and jumping on his back playfully. He caught me and wouldn't let me down, giving me a piggyback ride on the way over to the new house. We walked in the kitchen door happy and carefree to find Charlie, Sue and Leah sitting around the kitchen table and finishing breakfast.

"I guess we know where you were last night," Leah snarked, a growing smirk on her face as she watched me turn bright red. Paul slowly let me down from his back and immediately headed for the stove to see if there was any food left. Charlie and Sue gave each other a look as Charlie uncomfortably cleared his throat.

"Nothing happened, I swear! I fell asleep on the beach and Paul said it was too late to take me home. I slept while he was on patrol." I quickly explained.

"You're a big girl Bells. As long as you're being safe, I don't want to know about it," Charlie said before getting up and dropping his plate in the sink. He made a quick escape before he could possibly hear any more. Sue chuckled as she followed suit.

"You guys didn't save us anything?" Paul asked Leah as he disappointedly looked at the nearly empty pans on the stove.

"Why on earth would we have saved you anything? We didn't know you guys were coming! Even if we did, why don't you go home and eat your own food?" She said, clearing off the food on her plate before Paul had the chance to make a grab at it.

The two of them started to bicker and I excused myself to shower the annoying sand off of myself. I came back downstairs to find a Paul and Charlie quietly talking, a plate of French toast on the table for me.

"You two look chummy, what's going on?" I asked, pulling up a chair and beginning to dig into my plate.

"Paul here is wanting to become a police officer. I was just telling him that he passed the written portion of the test, I was just telling him about the physical fitness test he needs to take next." Charlie explained.

"I won't have a problem with that, I was built to serve and protect," Paul said smugly, wolfing down what was on his plate.

"I know you are, son," Charlie chuckled, patting him on the back before turning back to me. "Bells, I think we need to talk."

"Should I get out of here?" Paul asked, looking between us.

"Dad, if this is about last night I already told you…"

"This is NOT about last night; like I said, I never want to hear about what you two decide to do behind closed doors. No, this is about the Forks house..."

**Love it? Hate it? Review and get a sneak peek of chapter 13!**


	14. Chapter 13

****Hello world! Thank you so much for tuning in! I just wanted to let you know that the poll is officially closed and it seems people would like to see another character's POV! Cool! I am only going to have one chapter of this story in someone else's POV... BUT... I am _considering_ doing a few outtakes of the story in another character's POV. Would you guys like that? I hope so! ****

**Anyway... I hope you like this chapter, it was probably my favorite one yet. Reviews get a preview of chapter 14! Happy reading!**

****Previously on WDTTL:  
><strong>**

"This is NOT about last night; like I said, I never want to hear about what you two decide to do behind closed doors. No, this is about the Forks house..."

****Chapter 13  
><strong>**

"What about the house? Did something happen? Did someone break in?" I asked, worried, as we hadn't been there in a few weeks and any number of things could have happened in our time away.

"No, Bells, nothing happened to the house yet. I just wanted to tell you to go over there and get your stuff because we're selling the Forks house."

"What do you mean, we're selling the Forks house?!" I asked, completely stunned.

"Well... Since we practically live in the Clearwater house, it just makes sense since we're not using it and yet we still have to pay the bills. Besides, Leah and Seth have to live on the reservation with the pack..." Charlie reasoned, looking to Paul for a little help.

"And so do you." Paul said definitively, leaving no room to argue.

"But..."

"It's for your safety. No argument." Paul said.

"So I can never leave the reservation? Ever?" I asked, beginning to feel a bit trapped.

"One day, when I stop phasing and you are no longer in any danger, we can travel, or even move wherever you want to go. I go where you go, remember?" Paul said sweetly, rubbing my hand reassuringly.

"But... But what if you can't stop phasing?"

"I promise that, for you, I will try to control my emotions. Until then don't worry about missing your chance to achieve your dreams; neither of will age until I stop phasing. Just think of the time until then as longer for us to make plans, ok? I promise that I will do anything to make your dreams come true, baby," Paul promised, kissing my forehead.

Charlie cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable with the turn our conversation had taken. "Uh... Well I took the clothes and stuff I wanted, the rest went to Goodwill. I'm going to sell the house as is, so don't worry about the furniture or anything. But make sure you go and start packing your stuff tonight. And make sure to get the stuff from the kitchen, you can use it in your catering thingy."

Charlie had shocked me yet again. "How did you know about that?"

"Sue was talking about it with Emily earlier because she needed permission from the elders to do some renovating," he said as he scratched his mustache thoughtfully. "It's a good idea... And now that you'll be feeding the pack there might actually be food in OUR fridge for more than ten minutes." He said giving a chuckling Paul a pointed look.

"I think it's a great idea too! Kim and I were even thinking of taking some culinary classes at the community college," I said excitedly.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea... It's not on the reservation." Paul said a bit unhappily.

"Stop raining on my parade! I'm excited, you should be happy for me," I said, giving his shoulder a little punch.

"I just want you to be safe."

"Then let me go! I'll die of boredom if I stay here," rolling my eyes at him.

"Well I think I'm going in to the station," Charlie said uncomfortably. "You kids should get going before the rain picks up again."

"Will do, Dad! Come on Paul, I need a strong man to help move my furniture... But I guess you'll do," I said cheekily, giving him my most angelic look. He didn't buy it for a second, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder before mumbling something about 'showing me how strong he really was he was'. I waved goodbye to a chuckling Charlie from my spot on Paul's shoulder before he gently placed me in the cab of my truck.

The ride to the house in Forks was comfortably silent, neither of us really having anything to say. It was a pleasant ride until we got to the end of my street. Paul's head snapped in the direction of my house, straightening in his chair and visibly shaking.

"What's wrong?" I asked, afraid that he had maybe seen something that I hadn't.

"This whole place... It smells like vampires. How can you stand the smell?" He turned and glared a little.

I sniffed the air a few times and smelt absolutely nothing but rain, dirt and pine. "I don't smell anything out of the ordinary..."

"What did he do, pee in the bushes? The whole place is covered in his scent." He growled, coming to a stop outside my house.

"He? He who?"

"Cullen! All of them! The scent it so strong here you would think they used to live here!" He practically shouted, shaking even more violently.

I unlocked the front door with my key, laughing at the wolf behind me. "They practically did live here," I told him as we climbed the stairs to my room. "Either Edward or Alice stayed here practically every night."

Paul sat on my bed and let me get to packing. He sniffed the bed as he laid back, immediately sitting straight back up and letting out a vicious growl. "He slept in your bed with you? Did he touch you?!"****  
><strong>**

"Chill out! We didn't do anything but kiss and sleep. Well... I slept, he would just watch. Now that I think about it... That's kind of creepy," I said, going into my closet and pulling out the suitcases in the back before starting to fill them with clothes. I could hear grumbles from Paul in the other room as I began packing my entire life up again. I could tell he was snooping through the stuff left out but for some reason, I didn't mind. I wanted him to know me and I wanted to know more about him.

I was almost done packing my first bag when I heard something that sounded like wood snapping. I went back to the bedroom and found Paul kneeling on the floor, one of my floorboards in hand, and staring down into the hole.

"What the heck are you doing? You can't just go around ripping up people's floorboards!" I yelled, a bit shocked that he would do this to my house his, let alone on his first time here.

"Why? Afraid I'll find out your secret?" He viciously growled at me.

"Secret? What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about your Edward shrine," he spat.

"My what? I honestly have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Do you think I'm stupid? I know what this is!" He picked up a few of the things from beneath the floorboard to show me. I immediately recognized the photographs I thought Edward had taken with him when he left as well as the plane tickets from Carlisle and Esme and a letter I had never seen before.

"I thought we were friends! I thought we were heading to something more! How could I have been so stupid? You're still hung up on the leech! The filthy bloodsucker!" He screamed, throwing the items to the floor and shaking so violently that he was literally blurring before me.

"I... I didn't know that was down there," I stuttered, completely shocked about the stuff under the floorboards as well as the serious attitude Paul was giving me.

"Don't you fucking lie to me, Swan! I'm done here. Fucking imprint... Of course I had to get the fucked up leech lover!" He yelled before pushing past me and running down the stairs and out the front door.

I stood in the middle of my room completely shocked. My brain literally couldn't process it all at once. Once I snapped out of my trance I grabbed my coat and began to chase after the angry boy who had just stormed off, wanting to explain myself. My eyes blurred with unshed tears but I chased after him anyway. I was determined to tell him that he was absolutely right, I could feel myself falling for him. I wanted to tell him the Cullen's left me; they were nothing to me now.

Stairs aren't my best friends on a normal day, but trying to run down wooden stairs in only socks? Bad idea. VERY bad idea. I felt my foot slide about halfway down the stairs and I felt my body pitch foreword. The ground rushed towards me and I threw my hand out to protect my head from the fall.

For a few moments I felt nothing but panic and then I landed- hard- on my arm and my hip. I tumbled the rest of the way down the stairs, my body screaming in pain as each step seemed to make the pain worse and worse. It took me a moment after landing on the floor for the pain to fully register in my left hip, arm and along my ribs. The pain was excruciating and I yelled for the only person I knew would hear me no matter where in the world I was.

I stopped screaming when I heard stomping from outside and saw the door swing open to reveal a blurry person with jet black hair.

**Love it? Hate it? Review for a sneak peek of chapter 14!**


	15. Chapter 14

**Hello readers! Tomorrow is my birthday and my present to you is an extra-long chapter! YAY! I am SO SORRY for not posting this on time but to be completely honest I had a really hard time writing this chapter. I don't know why, usually these chapters seem to write themselves and this one just wouldn't... I don't know. As always, all reviews get a sneak peek of next chapter. Love you guys! Enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 14**

For a few moments I felt nothing but panic and then I landed- hard- on my arm and my hip. I tumbled the rest of the way down the stairs, my body screaming in pain as each step seemed to make the aches worse and worse. It took me a moment after landing on the floor for the pain to fully register in my left hip, arm, wrist, and along my ribs. The pain along the left side of my body was excruciating and I yelled for the only person I knew would hear me no matter where in the world I was.

I stopped screaming when I heard stomping from outside and saw the door swing open to reveal a blurry person with jet-black hair. I began to panic: this person was definitely not Paul and it was easy to tell by their speed that they weren't exactly human either.

"Paul! Paul please! Please help me!" I yelled, trying and failing to distance myself from the blurry shape coming towards me.

"Who is Paul?" Asked a familiar voice as the intruder came to a complete stop right in front of me.

"Alice?" I asked the intruder as the blurry person stopped moving and came into view. I rubbed my eye with my uninjured hand to make sure I was really seeing my friend in front of me.

"Still a danger magnet I see," Alice said in a disapproving tone, coming towards me to help me to my feet. As soon as I attempted to move I winced in pain, my entire body crying out.

"We shouldn't move you Bella, not until we call an ambulance. I can tell that you have a few broken bones." Alice said as I leaned on her for support while I tried to move to a more comfortable position. She leaned her neck away from me and when I began to question her I saw her pitch black eyes.

"Sorry. I didn't realize you were hungry," I said as I pulled away from her, wincing as I put weight on my sore hip. I gently leaned against the bottom step and took a moment to find a less painful spot before looking at Alice expectantly. "So... What brings you to Forks Alice? Not that I'm not glad to see you, it's just unexpected."

"I came to check on you," she said, glancing around the house and sniffing the air. "I haven't been seeing you in my visions lately. I have seen Charlie making many trips to the graveyard and just assumed something had happened. I finally saw your little trip down the stairs about a week ago and came running. I wasn't really sure what I would find... I sure didn't expect to find an un-lived in house and absolutely no sign of you or Charlie," she said, giving me the stink eye.

"We haven't been living here. In fact we're selling the house, I only came back to pack a few boxes."

"Why did you move? Where are you living?" She asked curiously, still sniffing the place. "Strange that I didn't see that... And why do you smell so badly?"

"I do not smell!" I said after giving myself a once over and making sure.

"Bella, what is that god awful wet dog smell?" Alice asked, glancing around the house and looking completely disgusted before disappearing in a flash. A minute later she returned with a few bags of ice in her hands.

"Um... That's probably me. Or Paul, he's a Werewolf."

"Ugh! Bella! Werewolves are not good company to keep!" She said as she wrapped the ice bags in towels and had begun placing on the swelling joints. She moved my leg a little too roughly and I cried out in pain before I could stop myself.

The front door violently swung open, slamming into the wall and leaving an indent in the plaster as a viciously shaking and snarling Paul was revealed.

"Vampire," he spat, his uncontrollable shaking blurring his figure as he stalked forward and roughly pushed Alice away from me. One moment she was airborne, the next she had disappeared from site. Before I could blink Alice reappeared between the two of us, a look of disgust on her delicate features. Paul's angry snarl sent shivers down my spine as he lunged for her again.

"Paul don't! Please!" I yelled, wanting to stop them before anything bad could happen. "Please Paul, she's my friend. Don't hurt her!"

His eyes snapped to me, glaring. "Your friend?" He snarled, looking me from head to toe. "This creature is not your friend." He spat, turning back to Alice and crouching in a position ready for attack.

"Please Paul, leave her alone! She did nothing wrong, she came here to try to protect me," I yelled as I reached for him, trying to reason with my incredibly angry wolf.

"Oh yeah? Is that why your here bloodsucker? Here to save poor Bella from the big bad wolf? Please. You may have her fooled but you can't fool me. I know you're here with THEM," he spat, placing himself protectively in front of me and snarling at Alice.

"I came home alone to check on Bella, no one knows that I'm here and last time I checked I was in no violation of the treaty being here." Alice spoke calmly, trying to reason with Paul. "I have done nothing wrong."

"Right. Ok, let's pretend for a moment that your not with that evil redhead that's been trying to kill Bella for months. If that's not why your here then what other possible reason could you have for being here? I mean... You must not care for her much since you pretty much left her in the middle of the woods ALONE at NIGHT when you left. Really Bella, you sure know how to pick em'," he spat sarcastically.

Alice's eyes widened as they snapped to me, "Someone has been trying to kill you?"

"Yeah... Victoria's back. We think she wants revenge for killing James," I told her as I grabbed Paul's hand and tried unsuccessfully to pull him closer so I could calm him down.

" I didn't see her. I didn't see you getting hurt this badly either. I can't see past you and your pack of mutts!" Alice spat at Paul before taking a calming breath and turning back to me, "You have to believe me, we never would have left you here if we knew you were going to have to fend for yourself against vampires and werewolves," Alice said as she began to pace, holding her hands to her face as if trying to look into the future.

Paul on the other hand was snarling at her.

"Look Alice, I would have told you if there had been any possible way to contact you. You left me here alone to fend for myself and I moved on," I said, giving Paul's hand a gentle squeeze before continuing. "I'm with Paul now; I'm part of the wolf pack. They accept me for who I am and have never made me feel bad because I was different. They are my family now and you have no right to come in here and attack them like this."

"Bella... Can't you see how dangerous they are?" She hissed, glaring back at Paul who had just begun to settle back down.

"I would never hurt her leech," Paul spat.

"He can't hurt me Alice," I said. "In fact, Paul here is the only reason I am alive right now. He and the pack have saved me numerous times from Victoria and from myself."

Alice stopped dead in her tracks, turning to look at me with a look of complete shock. "What do you mean? He saved you from yourself? How could he have possibly done that?"

"Alice…" I sighed, not really wanting to tell the story but knowing that she wouldn't stop until I had explained everything. "Edward left he didn't just end our relationship: he took away my future. He took away you and Emmett, my closest friends. He took away Carlisle and Esme, the closest thing to normal parents I have ever had. He gave me the hope of a beautiful future, the opportunity to give me everything I had ever wanted. Then he tore it all away. Instead of changing me like I asked he wanted to do the 'selfless' thing. When it was all taken away I was completely crushed. I was dead on the inside. I began doing reckless things just so the voices in my head would tell me what I wanted to hear. Paul and Jacob… They saved me. I wouldn't be here without them… Without him," I said, giving Paul's hand a squeeze.

"Can't you see Bella? They haven't saved you yet; they have only postponed the inevitable. When I went through the city I smelled dozens of vampires- if you say that they are working for Victoria then your pack wouldn't stand a chance." Alice said, shaking her head at us slowly as she continued to pace back and forth across the living room floor.

Paul gripped my hand as he stepped forward with a protective snarl, "we know how to kill bloodsuckers, the pack has been doing it for centuries. It's my job and I'm fucking great at it."

"Ok, I'll humor you for a few moments," Alice said sarcastically as the turned a level stare in Paul's direction, "So the pack has killed vampires before. Good for you. Couldn't have been many, right? Maybe five, maybe ten?"

Paul snarled at her angrily, the shaking getting more pronounced.

"That's what I thought. The vampires you killed we're probably Nomads passing through the area and stopping for a quick snack. Picking them off one by one should have been easy since there's one of them and a group of you... But you have to know that the reason Nomads don't find themselves a permanent home is because they don't want to get attached to a place or to other people. A Nomad wouldn't have the resources to build an army, so what would they do? If they couldn't pull together an army they would have to build one, a newborn army."

"So?" Paul spat, glaring at the small girl.

I locked eyes with Alice, remembering everything the Cullen's had ever told me about what would happen if I changed. Giving Paul's hand a squeeze I gently said, "Paul, newborns are faster, stronger and more powerful than an older vampire because they have a larger amount of human blood in their system. They are ruled by their emotions and are extremely dangerous."

Alice gave me a little nod before continuing, "dealing with a newborn is a new challenge entirely. I know your pack could handle one or maybe two but you won't survive thirty attacking at the same time. You will need help."

"Oh yeah? And where do you suppose we're going to find that?"

"We will help. The Cullen's have experience dealing with newborns and that is something your going to need when the time comes. The only thing that will keep you alive is proper training and a larger army, we can provide both."

"Alice... I don't know if I want to see..." I managed to say before Alice cut me off.

"I won't call Edward. Telling him about you guys, calling him here... It would cause more pain than it's worth. No, I'll call Jasper and Emmett. They are the ones with fighting experience and since this is all our fault in the first place... They will come."

"Wait a second!" Paul said, looking between the two of us before pulling his hand through his hair in agitation, "The decision about this is not up to me. You will need to talk to Sam and explain what you have told me and maybe then we will work with you."

Alice replied, "I have no issue talking to your leader but it will have to wait. Bella needs emergency help now and you need to get her to the hospital while I make some phone calls."

"You're staying here?" I asked her as Paul began looking for the best was to carry me out.

"I'm obviously not staying here Bella, I have my own home. But I am going to stay in town until this matter is completely taken care of. I promise that I won't leave you until you are safe." She promised as Paul lifted me into the air. Paul wasn't very gentle lifting me into the air and the pain overwhelmed me. I wrapped my arm around his neck before the world around me turned to black.

**Love it? Hate it? Please review and let me know what you think!**


	16. Chapter 15

**Hey everyone! Thank you for reading my story! As some of you know I have started another story but I want to assure everyone that I have _NOT forgotten_ When Darkness Turns To Light and I have every intention of keeping up with both stories. The new story is called Winner Takes All and is an all-human Edward/Bella fic that you can find on my profile- PLEASE let me know what you think of it!**

**ANYWAY-I hope you like this chapter, it took me FOREVER to write. Love it, Hate it- _Review for a sneak peek of chapter 16!_**

**Previously on When Darkness Turns To Light:**

"The decision about this is not up to me. You will need to talk to Sam and explain what you have told me and maybe then we will work with you." Paul said.

Alice replied, "I have no issue talking to your leader but it will have to wait. Bella needs emergency help now and you need to get her to the hospital while I make some phone calls."

"You're staying here?" I asked her as Paul began looking for the best was to carry me out.

"I'm obviously not staying here Bella, I have my own home. But I am going to stay in town until this matter is completely taken care of. I promise that I won't leave you until you are safe." She promised as Paul lifted me into the air. Paul wasn't very gentle lifting me into the air and the pain overwhelmed me. I wrapped my arm around his neck before the world around me turned to black.

**Chapter 15**

Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep... That annoying fucking beep is giving me the headache of the century. I swear to god that if this is Paul's idea of a joke I am seriously going to kill him.

Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep... The sound is getting harder to ignore, as is the pain that's beginning to register across my body. And the temperature... Why is only half of my body warm? Why can't I move?

Beep.. Beep.. Beep.. Beep.. What the heck is happening? My eyelids feel so heavy, almost like they are weighted down by something. I struggle to open my eyes as a blindingly white wall slowly appears before me. Slowly my surroundings begin to come into focus, though the world has a cloudy dream-like quality. This is not my room... I'm hooked up to a machine... Is that the beeping? Am I in the hospital? This room looks eerily familiar.

Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep... I can see my foot and arm in a cast, the former hanging from a cloth coming down from a weird sling that's coming from the ceiling. I try to move my other hand but it is caught under the warm thing... Is that a person? The thing jerks up to a sitting position, moving so quickly it makes me dizzy. Paul's face slowly comes into view, his lips moving rapidly but I can't understand what he is saying.

In what feels like slow motion I reach for him, trying to see if he is real. He grasps my little hand between his two enormous ones, bringing it to his face for a brief kiss and a quick nuzzle. I try to lean closer to hear what he is saying but a strong pain explodes across my ribs and I cringe back, whimpering.

A look of pain crosses Paul's face. I want to tell him that it's ok. I want to reassure him but I can't seem to move my mouth. The next thing I know a familiar looking woman in white is rushing into the room and touching the machine. I want to tell her to turn it off. I want to tell her I shouldn't be here. I want to tell her that this is just a dream, I shouldn't be in pain. I want to tell her, but I can't move my face. Slowly a black cloud crosses my vision. What is that thing? I try to chase it with my eyes but it grows and envelops me, pulling me under. I don't know where I have followed the cloud but there is less pain here. Beep.. Beep.. Beep..

I don't know how long I was out for but I woke suddenly when half of my body began screaming in pain. My eyes snapped open and I found myself cradled in a warm blanket snug against Paul's chest in the back seat of a van. "What... What's happening?" I asked groggily as I tried to shift to a more comfortable position in his arms.

"We're taking you home," said Leah from the drivers seat.

"Huh?"

"We agreed that it would be safer to take you home where a live-in nurse can care for you and we can protect you." Paul explained, pulling me closer to his chest and nuzzling his nose in my hair.

"We? You mean the pack?" I asked groggily.

"The pack, my Mom, your Dad, the Cullens... Pretty much everyone decided that it would be much safer if you had our protection," Leah explained. "There's nothing the doctors can do if Victoria waltzes into the hospital and decides to have an 'all the Bella you can eat' buffet. We can't exactly take care of her publicly."

"I think I'm on some serious drugs right now... I could have sworn you just said the Cullen's were back..." I said as I groggily tried to wipe the sleep from my eye with my good hand.

"Baby... You don't remember your fall? You don't remember Alice offering to train the pack so we can handle our little situation?" Paul asked completely concerned.

"That was real?"

Paul chuckled under his breath as he gently kissed my forehead. "That was real alright. Pixie Cullen called in the reinforcements and we have formed a temporary partnership until the redhead's taken care of."

"You are partnering up with the Cullen's?" I asked skeptically, not entirely sure I'm not dreaming...

"I'm not exactly thrilled about teaming up with the enemy, but I don't really care as long as it keeps you safe. Oh, and you are on some serious drugs right now." Paul told me as the car came to a stop.

"As angry as it makes me to have them here you have to admit that the cowboy is kick ass! Some of those tricks that he showed us last night were pretty sweet," Leah said as she got out of the car. It took her a moment to come around to open my door before Paul lifted me and walked us to the house. Sue was on the porch and quickly ushered us inside and up the stairs to my room.

"What tricks?" I asked, wincing in pain as my ribs were jostled from being carried up the stairs.

"Calm down Bella, there is nothing for you to worry about. You just need to lay down and rest," said Sue as she and Paul gently lowered me onto my bed and attempted to make me comfortable. "Rest Bella."

"But... Why is it so hard to breathe?" I asked as the pain in my chest increased. It felt like someone had climbed on top of me and decided to sit there.

"Your pain medicine must be wearing off..." Sue muttered as she hooked me up to a medicine drip. "Bella, when you fell down the stairs you fractured a bone in your wrist and in your leg. Two of your ribs are broken and one of them actually punctured a lung. You had to have emergency surgery to fix it- you can expect to be a little short of breath as everything heals," Sue told me, lifting my foot into a little sling made from a blanket tied to the bottom of the bunk above me.

"What? All that from falling down the stairs?" I asked, a bit horrified that this had happened.

"Don't worry sweetheart, the casts will come off in a couple weeks and you will be up and about in no time," Paul reassured me, sitting next to me on the bed and giving me a kiss on my forehead. Sue floated around the bed, making sure that I had everything elevated properly and that I had enough fluids before muttering something about lunch and quickly leaving the room. To be honest, I was cuddled up next to Paul and had barely even noticed her leave.

After a few minutes of lying comfortably with Paul I remembered something I hadn't thought about in a couple days. "How's Jacob?"

Paul stiffened next to me and gave me a strange look before beginning to stand up. I quickly reached for him before he could go anywhere. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to ruin the mood; I'm just worried about my friend. Please stay."

Paul settled back in next to me, wrapping his arm back around my shoulder. "Bells, Jacob has been MIA since the night of the bonfire. He took off into the woods and, even though we can still track him through the pack mind, no one has gone after him because we need the pack to train for battle."

"What about the trial? Is he no longer in the pack? Was he exiled?" I asked, feeling a bit of panic at the thought of him alone with no one to turn to.

"It's self-exile. The pack is fair in all of it's decisions, there will be no trial until Jacob is here to defend himself and accept the consequences for what he has done. I wouldn't worry about it Bells, Jacob will be back when he's ready. He's more than capable of taking care of himself." Paul reassured me before quickly changing the topic. "You have a couple presents here, do you want to open them?"

"I can't exactly unwrap anything, I only have one working hand…" I said, waving the arm that has been wrapped in a cast.

"Don't worry, I made sure that people only gave you bags," Paul said as he handed me a heavy bag. "This is from Sue and Charlie. The pack knew you would be on bed rest for a couple weeks, so we thought this might help pass the time."

I unwrapped a portable DVD player from Sue and Charlie, a couple action DVD's from the guys in the pack, a few romantic comedies from the girls, a first edition Pride and Prejudice book from Alice Cullen, some back scratchers and a lot of candy and chips. " I think I'm going to gain 50 pounds if I eat all this…" I said as I placed the snacks back in the bags they came in.

"Don't worry babe, between Leah and I these won't last the day," Paul said as he polished off his second bag of chips.

"Please thank everyone for me, this is so unbelievably sweet," I told him as I settled back into bed, feeling a bit exhausted. I was about to snuggle back under my blanket when Sue hurried in with a tray of food and some Gatorade. "Oh thank god, some healthy food! I'm starting to feel sick just looking at all this junk food!" I said jokingly as I grabbed the tray and settled it gently on my lap. "Thank you so much Sue!"

"No problem Bella. I'll be back in a little bit to take the tray and give you your pain meds, then you need to take a little rest."

"Ok, will do!" I said as I picked up a slice of toast.

Paul was busy setting up my portable DVD player for me but quickly grabbed a few apple slices off my plate. "So… Braveheart?" Paul asked, coming back to the bed and picking up the movie.

"Uh… I guess?" I said between bites. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I had actually taken a bite of food. The movie had started but I was getting sleepy and couldn't focus on the movie very well. Sue had come back to collect the tray of food that Paul had polished off for me and gave me my pain medicine before leaving us in peace. Before I knew it I was fast asleep, cuddled into Paul's side and enjoying his warmth. I felt him place a kiss on my forehead before I gave in to the drowsiness.

_**Love it, Hate it- Review it for a sneak peek of chapter 16!**_

_**Oh! And please check out my new story- Winner Takes All! It can be found on my profile page =)**_


	17. Chapter 16

**Hello readers! Thank you so much for reading! As a thank you for your amazing reviews I wanted to post this chapter a day early AND I wanted to give a special shout-out to the people that reviewed the last chapter (GoldieLocks4789, Sweetness4683, Twifantasyfan, TwilightOwnsMyHeart, NinjaChef1991, iloveyoumybabyblue, SpanishAccent1, Hateme101, Dakotah Rose Young-Aterea, EclipseFan4Life, Olivia Williams, ihatemona, Melody-rose-20, mizz-sunshin3, ffranco1985, Granny Wolf, Ariya-angels, laithano, Marion-v, moriahhh, Jaz1990, and everyone that reviewed as a guest). You guys ROCK! This chapter is a bit longer than the others- I hope you enjoy them! As always, _Review for a sneak peek of Chapter 17!_**

**Previously on WDTTL:**

Paul was busy setting up my portable DVD player for me but quickly grabbed a few apple slices off my plate. "So… Braveheart?" Paul asked, coming back to the bed and picking up the movie.

"Uh… I guess?" I said between bites. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I had actually taken a bite of food. The movie had started but I was getting sleepy and couldn't focus on the movie very well. Before I knew it Sue had come back to collect the tray of food that Paul had polished off for me and gave me my pain medicine. Before I knew it I was fast asleep, cuddled into Paul's side and enjoying his warmth. I felt him place a kiss on my forehead before I gave in to the drowsiness.

**Chapter 16**

"It's cool that you guys want to see how Bella's doing but you need to shut up. She's trying to rest and she can't really do that with all your yapping."

"God Paul, chill the hell out. She's been resting for hours and most of us haven't seen her in a while. Besides, this is my room too. You can't tell me what to do."

There was a low growl and then what sounded like a whack before the bed started shaking. I slowly rubbed my eyes and sat up, coming face to face with about 5 pack members.

"See? She's up!" Said Leah who was holding a pillow and looked ready to strike the shaking werewolf that was sitting protectively in front of me, growling.

"Stand down Paul, I'm fine," I said reaching forward and giving the back of his shirt a little tug so he would relax. Paul didn't look too happy, but he did sit back and wrap his arm around my shoulder. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked, turning back towards Jared, Kim, Embry, Quil and Leah who were all hanging out on the various chairs and carpets throughout the room.

"Uh… I live here," Said Leah sarcastically as she lifted my legs and climbed into the bed next to me.

"Yeah, she lives here. We just miss you!" Said Kim as she leaned forward to give me a hug. "Welcome home! We wanted to be here when you arrive but SOMEONE thought it would be a bit too overwhelming," she said, glancing at Paul before sitting back on Jared's lap.

"I'm happy to see you guys! Thank you for taking pity on your poor disabled friend and visiting," I said, half-joking. "Oh! And thank you for all the movies! You guys are awesome."

"Glad you liked them, but I have a feeling that Paul will get more use out of them than you will… Apparently you've been sleeping like crazy and Paul here has already gone through most of them instead of going on his patrols," said Embry, laughing at the low growl that Paul emitted.

"Yeah, his lazy ass has been pawning off his patrol on us so he can have sleepy movie time with you, Princess." Quil joked, punching a growling Paul on the shoulder.

"You haven't been going to patrol?" I asked Paul, watching him squirm uncomfortably.

"It hurts to be away from you, especially now that you're in so much pain. The pack has been taking pity on me letting me trade patrol shifts around so I could be here with you," he explained, nuzzling my neck because I'm sure he could tell by the look on my face that I wasn't pleased.

"I wouldn't call it trading patrols so much as him blackmailing and guilting us into taking his shifts…" Embry said as a glaring Paul elbowed him hard in the stomach.

"You blackmailed them?" I asked Paul unhappily, not liking that he was slacking at his duties and using me as an excuse. A look of shame crossed Paul's face before it was replaced with steely determination.

"I wasn't slacking, someone needed to watch over you in the hospital to make sure there wasn't a surprise attack or a kidnapping. I volunteered. Besides, if any of these traitors were in my position they would have done the exact same thing," he said, glaring accusingly at the other wolves who nodded in agreement.

"I was just kidding guys, calm down! We would do anything for a brother! Paul was taken off of border patrol and put on full-time Swan patrol," Embry said, laughing with the rest of the pack members in the room.

"Don't worry Bella, they're not giving Paul special treatment. It's like an unwritten tribal law that an imprint protects their mate when injured. When Emily was injured Sam didn't have to run patrol, Paul doesn't have to either while you are injured," Kim explained, cuddling into Jared who had wrapped his arms around her and was contently leaning back against the wall in the corner of the room.

I was relieved that Paul wasn't making the others pick up his slack because he was here with me, though I still felt guilty that others had to pick up his extra shifts because of my clumsiness. Quil and Embry began cracking people up as they caught us up on the latest goings-on with some of the pack members and I settled back into Paul who immediately calmed down, wrapping his arms around my shoulder. I rubbed his arm soothingly with the hand not in the cast, laughing along with the rest of the room as Paul began a low, rumbling purr that practically screamed contentment. For the first time in a while life felt good.

After about a half hour of everyone laughing and having a good time together in the cramped room Sue knocked on the door to bring my pain medicine. Handing me the little white pill and a glass of water she turned to the boys and asked, "what are you guys still doing here? Doesn't training start in like ten minutes?"

Leah and all of the boys save for Paul jumped to attention immediately, practically giving Kim and I a heart attack.

"We do need to leave now... Which reminds me, we actually had two motives for coming here," Jared said as he shrugged out of his shirt and handed it to Kim, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh yeah? And what would that be?" Paul growled, tensing up a bit as he looked at his brothers skeptically.

"Bella we're so glad that you are doing well, but do you think we could borrow Paul for a couple hours? He's missed a lot of training and, with the battle and all... Well, extra training couldn't hurt, right?" Embry said, cautiously looking between a gently vibrating Paul and I.

Before I could answer Paul growled, "absolutely not."

"Paul, " I said as I rested my hand on his arm and rubbed soothing circles. "You should really go to training. I'm going to be fine here! It's not like I can find a way to hurt myself again," I said as I motioned to the leg hanging elevated with the arm that was in a cast.

"You always find a way," he muttered unhappily, causing the pack members burst out laughing and me to give him a playfully outraged smack to his chest.

"I'm being serious! You don't want to go now, but I KNOW you will be pissed if those vampires come and Sam benches you because you can't fight like the others," I tried to reason as Paul cut me off.

"Sam wouldn't do that, I'm his number two."

"I don't know Paul, he's pretty pissed that you haven't even shown up to one practice..." Quil taunted, heading for the door.

I knew that asking or telling him to go wasn't going to work; Paul did what he wanted when he wanted. The only way to get him to go and learn how to protect himself would be to play to two of his weakness: his pride and me. "Well I guess you can stay here if you want Paul. I mean... I have all the other wolves to protect me, right?"

"And the Cullens! They can protect you too!" Said Kim who had taken Leah's vacated spot next to me on the bed. Paul gave a little growl, rolling his eyes as he got to his feet.

"I''ll be back in TWO hours. That should be long enough to appease you but not long enough for you to find yourself in trouble, right?" Paul asked, fixing me with his steely glare. I knew he wasn't happy that I was basically asking him to leave but I think he ultimately knew it was for the good of the pack.

"Chill out Paul! Look at the poor girl: she is basically tied up to the bed! What trouble could she possibly get into? Besides, Bella and I are in desperate need of some girl time," Kim said, pulling out a bag of makeup and a Legally Blonde DVD from her purse.

Paul looked between the two of us unhappily. "Uh huh... And what happens if something bad happens? Hmm? Who will protect her?"

"You guys are not that far away! Besides, I carry a doggie whistle. If I blow it then one of you will hear it and I have no doubt that everyone will come running. If we have a problem and the whistle doesn't work we can always just call someone's cell phone! Now get your butt to training, it's girls night! No boys allowed! Bella will see you tomorrow morning," Kim said, giving Paul a stern look and pointing towards the door.

Paul growled, beginning to protest, but before he could say anything he was grabbed by Jared and playfully shoved out the door. Kim and I could hear his angry protests as he was dragged out of the house and we couldn't help but giggle a little.

"I am so excited to finally have a friend to do makeovers with! I always feel a little awkward when I think of asking Emily. Leah on the other hand... Well, she might bite my face off," Kim laughed as she unloaded the facemasks, lotion, nail polish and makeup onto my comforter.

"You and Alice Cullen would get along well I think, she loves makeovers too."

Kim laughed out loud, shaking her head; "I have been told that I am to have absolutely no contact with the Cullens or any other vampire. Not like visiting a group of vampires is on my to-do list or anything… Jared and the pack barely tolerate them in training, there's no way they would let them near any of the imprints."

I grabbed the DVD player with my good hand, popping the movie in and playing it as Kim set up for 'girls night'. "I've never had a girls night before… Sorry if I can't exactly reciprocate with the nail polish and makeup stuff," I said, motioning with my cast as Kim cracked up.

"Don't worry, doing the primping is my favorite part! You're like my real life Barbie doll."

"Alice used to call me that too…" I told her, rolling my eyes playfully as the movie began to play. We settled in for the night, watching movies and laughing together. We ordered a large pizza in hopes of luring Leah into joining us when she got home from the training session, which she did after we agreed to stop watching romantic comedies.

"So, what are you doing home so early? I just assumed that the boys would be charging in here as soon as training was over," Kim said, stuffing her mouth with popcorn.

"Sam told Paul to stay late for extra training since he has missed so much the past week, Jared stayed behind to help train him since he's picked it up the fastest," Leah mumbled through a mouth full of pepperoni pizza. Swallowing, she turned toward Kim and leveled her with a tight-lipped smirk. "I would be glad that Paul's not here if I were you girlie; between you kicking him out of the house, tricking him into going to practice and telling him you would 'whistle' for him if something were to happen to you guys… Yeah. Paul is pissed."

Kim laughed so hard she snorted, practically falling off the bed. "That is so Paul! You guys are the ones that were here to drag him out of the house and he's mad at ME for telling him I would whistle for him if we needed anything! Priceless!"

"I think it was the fact that you had a dog whistle and said you would use it to call him… You basically called him a bitch," Leah laughed, throwing popcorn at the two of us as we laughed at her.

"I don't even HAVE a dog whistle! My Dad makes me carry a rape whistle on my keychain, I just assumed that one of you could hear it!" Kim said, causing up to laugh even harder.

We went back to Underworld, the movie that we had put in when Leah joined us (it was a compromise- action for her, romance for us), when out of nowhere Leah yelled, "incoming!" before jumping up and popping into the top bunk. Kim and I looked at each other, wondering what on earth had gotten into Leah when we heard thundering from the inside the house.

"What the hell?" Kim asked before the bedroom door slammed open and we were bombarded by a brown and silver blur. I had just enough time to see the brown wolf pounce on Kim, licking her face before my own wolf came and began rubbing his cheek along my arm and shoulder, licking me all over my face. "Gross Paul!" I laughed, trying to push him off of me and, when that didn't work, squirming away from him. I jerked my bad leg on accident, causing shooting pain to course through my left side and I cried out in pain. Paul immediately phased, a look of panic crossing his face as he helplessly fretted, not quite knowing what to do. I pointed to the medicine bottle on my nightstand and the glass of water that Sue had left me and as soon as I had re-adjusted my leg I happily took the pill from Paul. After a minute or two I sighed in relief, not feeling the pain anymore and Paul relaxed, flopping down on the bed next to me.

"God Paul, get some pants on," Kim said, throwing the pair of cutoffs that were previously strapped to his leg at him and shielding her eyes. I hadn't even notices that he was still unclothed and I could feel myself blushing, hiding my face under the covers.

"Why Kimmy? Don't like what you see?" Paul said, laughing as he pulled on the pants.

"I'm just trying to save you from the beating Jared will give you for showing me the goods," Kim said as Jared gave a playful growl, shielding her from seeing any more of his naked friend.

"Hey, it's not my fault that you wanted a peek. Don't be ashamed Kim, most girls do," He winked, crawling back onto the bed next to me and throwing his arm around my shoulder.

"Bella doesn't seem to be one of them… Look how red she is!" Kim said, pointing to my half-hidden face and laughing her ass off.

A quick look of hurt crossed Paul's face but was quickly replaced with a smirk. "Bella probably just wants a private show, don't you baby?"

"Uh… How was training?" I asked, quickly changing the subject as Leah climbed back down from the bunk above us. Jared climbed down on the floor, placing his head on Kim's lap and yipped excitedly, wagging his tail.

"Practice was awesome. That Jasper guy is the shit!" Leah said as she plopped down on the desk chair and snagged the last slice of pizza, quickly stuffing it in her mouth before one of the boys could make a grab at it.

"He's alright… For a bloodsucker," Paul grudgingly admitted, glaring daggers at Leah before turning to me. "You guys had pizza? Any more left?"

"We weren't exactly expecting you guys on GIRLS night…" Kim said, giving Jared a playful shove. "Unless you want your nails painted you two need to go."

"You can't kick us out," Paul said, giving Kim a look.

"No, but I can," growled Leah as she pointed to the door. The boys looked to each other and snickered until Leah leaned forward, grabbing the both of them by the ears, and yanked them out the door before slamming and locking it behind her. There were some protests from outside the door (Paul was yelling obscenities and Jared howling) until Seth invited them downstairs for food and video games.

"I'm surprised that worked," I said, looking to Leah completely impressed.

"I'm actually a little surprised that Jared didn't go all caveman on Kim and throw her over his shoulder to drag her out of here. He's done it before," Leah said, throwing popcorn at a blushing Kim.

"Yeah," she sighed dreamily, a huge smile crossing her face. "I always complain when he does that but I secretly think it's so hot. I love when he gets all macho…. That's one of the reasons I'm so excited that he's going to join the police force with Paul. I love a man in uniform."

Leah fake gagged, rolling her eyes at Kim. "You know he can hear you right now, right?"

"What? He can?" Kim yelled in mock-outrage, winking at Leah as I laughed.

"You guys are so gross… Between Kim and Jared humping like rabbits and Paul mooning over Bella… I'm just sick of all of the imprint shit. I feel like I am constantly surrounded by it," Leah complained.

"Sorry Leah. I know that since I moved in you don't exactly have any imprint-free places you can go anymore," I said, thinking back to the past few weeks with Paul here constantly and feeling guilty for not thinking about Leah's feelings in all of this.

Leah sighed, rolling her eyes. "Don't feel bad Bella, I'm just feeling cranky tonight. Paul's fine, I'm just tired of seeing all of their thoughts in my mind every time I shape-shift."

"I'm sorry Lee-lee. I know that must suck for you; I would be pissed if I had to deal with that every day… If it helps I fully give you permission to imagine me kissing that hunky vampire- what's his name? Emmett? That man is sex on legs! Have you seen his arms? Sexy. I promise that the image of him and I together will stop Jared from remembering things that were MEANT TO BE PRIVATE," Kim yelled, making sure that Jared heard. Our response was a growl from downstairs that made the group of us burst out laughing again.

"Well Paul and I haven't even kissed yet so I don't know what he could be torturing you with…" I said to Leah as two sets of eyes turned on me in shock.

"You haven't kissed him yet?" Kim yelled, smacking me with her pillow.

"No. Is that a bad thing?" I asked, a bit confused about why they were freaking out.

"There's nothing wrong with it, I'm just a bit shocked. You two just seem like such a couple, I guess I just assumed you had at least kissed," Kim said, shocked.

"He hasn't exactly asked me out or anything… I don't know. Edward was my first and only boyfriend and we really rushed into that relationship. I mean, he wanted us to get MARRIED! We were in high school! Well, I was in high school- he was over a hundred years old. I don't know, it's kind of nice to take things slow for once. I mean… He's my imprint, right? We have the rest of our lives to be together or not, why do we need to decide now? Not that we've talked about it," I mumbled, embarrassed.

"Well on that note, I need to go on patrol. See you guys later," Leah said as she bolted.

"I don't think I've ever seen that girl move so quickly in my life," Kim chuckled as Leah practically ran for the door. As soon as Leah disappeared Kim reached for the DVD case to grab our next movie. "He really hasn't kissed you yet?"

"Nope," I sighed, leaning back and settling into the pillows.

Kim gave me a weird look. "I'm sorry, I guess I just can't believe it. I mean, I'm sure you have heard of his reputation but I have SEEN it. I know he has slept with AT LEAST a hundred girls, probably more. Why would he be waiting so long to _kiss_ you?"

"Way to make me feel awesome Kim," I muttered, feeling terrible.

"Aw, don't feel bad! He's probably just trying to take it slow, you know?"

"Maybe."

"If you're so worried about it then maybe you should just talk to him about it! I'm sure he's just scared," She said, pulling the blanket tighter around herself.

"Paul? Scared? Have you even met the guy? Nothing scares Paul."

"I wouldn't be so sure Bells, you represent a lot of firsts for the guy," she said as she snuggled back into the pillows, getting ready for bed.

"What do you mean?"

Kim rolled her eyes at me. "Look, you know about his Dad leaving him and his Mom passing away… Well, trusting people is REALLY hard for him. I've known him my entire life and he's only JUST became my friend. You're the first girl he's ever dated, the first girl he's ever really liked, the first woman he can see spending his life with, the first person he is or will be in love with… You're the first person he's cared about in a long time. I know he loves the pack and I know that Jared and I are his best friends, but this is different. You're his imprint: the one person put on this planet that was made for him- the person that he was meant for. Can you really blame him for wanting to take it slow so he doesn't mess things up?"

"I guess not," I said as I felt the drowsiness that I sometimes get from my medicine kick in.

"I would just talk to him about it if I were you. You're never going to have the relationship with Paul that you want until you tell him what you're looking for," Kim said, stretching out and accidentally nudging my knee in the process. "Sorry! Do you think Lee-lee will mind if I sleep on her bunk tonight? Jared says I tend to kick in my sleep and I REALLY don't want to hurt you…"

"Go for it, Leah won't care. She's running the night shift and won't be back until tomorrow," I said as I cuddled under a pile of blankets and turned the DVD player off. For some reason I couldn't get warm, so I grabbed more blankets as Kim laughed at me.

"Those won't make you warm, not after sleeping with a human space heater every night," she told me as she climbed up onto the top bunk. As if on cue the boys barreled into the room, Jared jumping on the top bunk with Kim and Paul climbing in behind me and wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

"What happened to 'no boys allowed'?" Kim asked through a yawn, not exactly putting up a fight.

"We gave you your little 'girls night', no complaining," Paul said as he nuzzled his head into the back of my neck. Too tired to complain and way too tired to argue I let Paul's warmth envelope me and began to give into the darkness. Paul mumbled something against the back of my neck but I was way too far-gone to care what it was. The darkness surrounded me and I happily welcomed sleep.

**_Love it? Hate it? Review for a sneak peek of Chapter 17!_**


	18. Chapter 17

**Hello readers! How are you doing today? I hope you are excited that I am posting this a WEEK EARLY! I know, I'm excited too. You might be wondering why I am posting so early... Well I realized that When Darkness Turns To Light officially passed ****the 700 review mark! I KNOW! I am so excited! Less than 300 reviews until we reach 1000! I know we are a ways away, but as a major thank you to everyone reviewing I have decided to offer a special incentive:_ the 1000th reviewer (or the closest to 1000 if it's a guest reader) will get to pick a chapter- any chapter- that they want to see written in another character's POV_. Want to see girl's night from Jared's POV? How about the bonfire in Jacob's POV? Review and YOU will get to decide what the outtake will be. Sound cool? I think so! I can't wait to see what you guys pick!**

**Anyway! I want to thank all of the awesome people that reviewed last chapter: ffranco1985, jmullinax, GoldieLocks4789, dkamehameha, 1241070, laithano, Rasheedah2907, Melody-Rose-20, marion-v, Granny Wolf, chocolatelover1999, mizz-sunshin3, MercyRaine, hateme101, iloveyoumybabyblue, PaulIsMyMan, NinjaChef1991, TwilightOwnsMyHeart, EclipseFan4Life, StormyRebel, Sleeplessinseattle, IDontCareILoveIt, Veronique24, twilightlover212, Cailley Rachelle, sweetness4683, Lily, i3twilight, Paullvr and everyone that reviewed anonymously- I seriously love you guys!**

_**Oh! Before I forget! I don't own the Great Gatsby or Twilight! There ARE Great Gatsby spoilers in here so if you want to keep that a mystery then just skip over it!**_

_**Previously on When Darkness Turns To Light:**_

"You're never going to have the relationship with Paul that you want until you tell him what you're looking for," Kim said, stretching out and accidentally nudging my knee in the process. "Sorry! Do you think Lee-lee will mind if I sleep on her bunk tonight? Jared says I tend to kick in my sleep and I REALLY don't want to hurt you…"

"Go for it, Leah won't care. She's running the night shift and won't be back until tomorrow," I said as I cuddled under a pile of blankets and turned the DVD player off. For some reason I couldn't get warm, so I grabbed more blankets as Kim laughed at me.

"Those won't make you warm, not after sleeping with a human space heater every night," she told me as she climbed up onto the top bunk. As if on cue the boys barreled into the room, Jared jumping on the top bunk with Kim and Paul climbing in behind me and wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

"What happened to 'no boys allowed'?" Kim asked through a yawn, not exactly putting up a fight.

"We gave you your little 'girls night', no complaining," Paul said as he nuzzled his head into the back of my neck. Too tired to complain and way too tired to argue I let Paul's warmth envelope me and began to give into the darkness. Paul mumbled something against the back of my neck but I was way too far-gone to care what it was. The darkness surrounded me and I happily welcomed sleep.

**Chapter 17**

There are so many uncomfortable things about having half of my body in a cast that I can hardly pick which is the worst: it might be having my foot constantly elevated making it hard to move let alone sleep; maybe it was the constant Charlie-horses that I couldn't exactly walk off. I can't stand the fact that I need help going to the bathroom… Though I think the thing I hate the most is that I can't shower and have to take sponge baths- I feel absolutely disgusting and it's embarrassing to have to ask Sue to come help with some of the parts that I can't exactly reach… The only thing more embarrassing than actually taking the sponge bath is having the pack tease me about it mercilessly, telling me they would LOVE to help give me a sponge bath just to see how angry they could make Paul.

It didn't take me long to figure out that it was a game for most of the pack boys: taunting the most volatile werewolf and trying to push him to his limits was much like finding an angry bear and punching it in the face. Apparently it was one of their favorite adrenaline rushes. Paul had been doing a great job of keeping his emotions in check until Embry had jokingly offered to give me a tongue bath- I had never seen my silver wolf turn so red before in my life. I don't know what exactly Paul did to him, but when Embry came back to apologize for being disrespectful he was bruised pretty badly and had quite a few cuts all over himself. Paul acted like nothing happened as he smugly wrapped an arm around me. I didn't ask and the bruises were gone by the next day.

I loved when the pack members visited me, but I honestly felt like I had more alone time pre-cast. I felt like my room was a house of freaks and I was the main exhibit. It was an interesting experience (being a loner I hadn't exactly spent tons of time around so many people), but I guess it was nice to see how much people in the pack cared about me. I was really starting to feel like I belonged in the group.

The only two people that seemed to be completely MIA were Jacob and Kim. No one had seen or heard from Jake since the night of the bonfire so that wasn't much of a surprise. To be honest, Kim not visiting in the past week was more of a disappointment than a surprise: when Leah had come back after her patrol and seen Jared and Kim snuggling in her bed she totally lost it. I think her exact words were, "If I can't get a guy in my bed I'll be damned if some other chick hooks up in it!" Kim, knowing that Leah needed some time to cool off, has made herself scarce around the Clearwater-Swan residence. Sam and Emily didn't come around much either, though I have a feeling that has something to do with Leah as well.

As for Paul and I… Well, things have been a bit tense between us. I know that he overheard everything that Kim and I had said the other night at our little slumber party but since we haven't had a moment alone we haven't been able to talk about it. Our relationship is the giant elephant in the room whenever we're together. It sure FEELS like we're in a relationship (I mean, the guy _does_ sleep with me every night), but neither of us has exactly vocalized it. It's something that we want to talk about privately and with the constant stream of people through the house it looks like we won't be having the conversation until I get my casts off next week. Thank god. There is nothing I want more than to be free again- except for Victoria and her army to disappear...

Now that I am feeling much better and the casts are about to come off Paul has resumed his patrols and has been going to nightly training sessions. He won't really say anything about the training but Leah can't stop talking about how awesome the tricks are that she has been learning- even going so far as to say that she might be friends with 'that cowboy' if he wasn't a vampire. Hysterical.

I had just curled up with a good book when Paul came barreling into the room, shirtless and dripping wet. He immediately plopped down on the bed next to me, throwing an arm around me and peering over my shoulder at the book I was reading.

"Ugh! Why are you wet?" I asked, struggling to get away from the water that had begun to seep into the back of my shirt.

"I took a shower after patrol. I figured you would only want me sweaty in your bed if you were the one to make me that way," Paul said with a smirk, trying to close the distance between us again.

I laughed out loud, knowing that he was only half joking. I had begun to understand and appreciate Paul's dirty sense of humor in the weeks that we had spent since I got back from the hospital. "Gross. Get out of here," I said, giving him a playful push. Paul, being the jerk that he is, held me down and proceeded to run his hands through his wet hair, sprinkling water all over my book and myself. I laughed, trying to escape, but was pulled into Paul's arms as he gave me a quick nuzzle. "You really ARE a dog aren't you?"

"Whatever, you know you love me."

"I tolerate you," I told him jokingly as I snuggled back into his arms, not really caring if it meant I would get a bit damp. The look in his eyes at that moment- I could have sworn that he was about to kiss me. He leaned in and the butterflies in my stomach began to flutter. He raised his hand, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear before cradling my face…

"So, what are we watching tonight?" Asked Leah as she breezed into the room, throwing herself on the bed near my feet and munching on a bowl of popcorn- completely oblivious to the moment that she had just interrupted. Paul pulled back with a little growl, glaring at the girl that had interrupted our moment. "I vote for Blood and Chocolate- I'm always in the mood for a werewolf movie, even if it's a crappy one."

"Actually Leah, I was thinking of just reading and going to bed early tonight," I told her, motioning to the book that Paul had practically ruined when he shook the water from his hair earlier. "Paul, you can go watch with her if you want."

"I would rather stay here with you and do our thing," he murmured, nuzzling his head into the crook of my neck and causing me to laugh when he hit an extra ticklish spot.

"You guys are boring. Get a room or something," she spat disgustedly, scrambling off the bed.

"We HAD found a room until you decided to barge in," Paul growled at her as she retreaded to the hallway, muttering about 'stupid imprints' under her breath while slamming the door in her wake.

"Maybe we should just watch her movie, I feel bad that I made her mad…"

"Even if you offered she wouldn't come back. No, I think a night of reading sounds perfect tonight. Gatsby?" Paul asked, grabbing the wet book from my hands and replacing it with the one we had been reading together. We did this sometimes, taking turns reading aloud from a book as we sat cuddled on the bed together. It was peaceful, listening to the smooth baritone of Paul's voice reading from some of my favorite classic novels as I snuggled in the crook of his arm, playing with his long, muscular fingers. No one would believe me if I told them, but Paul loved to read almost as much as I did. These nightly occurrences were his idea and I thought they were some of our best times together.

_"There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams - not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything. He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time, decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way. No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart." _Paul read and I sighed dreamily, lost in a daydream.

"What?"

"I just think it's so romantic and tragic. He is in love with a woman he will never have and yet he never stops fighting for her. He loves her even though she betrays him- she would never live up to the image of her that he has in his mind. He dies for her while her evil husband stands by and does nothing. Poor Gatsby, all he wanted was love."

"What are you talking about? That's not love, that's obsession. He's obsessed with a girl that he dated years ago and won't let her go even though she has moved on. He manipulates her while she's in a bad place- that is not love," Paul countered, giving me a weary glance.

"What are you talking about? He sacrificed himself for her! When she crashed the car into her husband's mistress he took the fall for her and eventually died for it! You don't think that's love?" I asked, curious about what he thought that meant if it wasn't love.

"That wasn't a sacrifice! If he hadn't taken the fall then no one would have died; the only reason Myrtle's husband killed him was because the man thought Gatsby was sleeping with Myrtle. If Daisy had come forward and spoken about what she had done then Gatsby would never have had to die. Besides, do you really think that he would have said he crashed the car if he knew it was be the reason he was killed?"

"Yes. I believe that Jay Gatsby would have done anything for Daisy because he loved her. He loved her enough to let her go, he loved her enough to be what she needed him to be." I argued.

"He did it because he was obsessed with her. Do you honestly believe that he would have let her go? It was years since they were together and he still managed to wiggle his way into her life after all those years. He was never planning on letting her go even though it was obviously what she wanted," Paul spat angrily as he began to pull away from me.

"Wait a second… We aren't talking about Daisy and Gatsby anymore, are we? Is this about Jacob?" I asked, a little startled by the way that he was acting.

"I don't know Bella, I just… I don't know what to think about all of the guys in your life. I mean, between Edward and Jacob… I just can't help feeling like as long as they are in your life we can't ever really be together. I can't help but thinking at the back of my mind that they are the kind of people that you want: the kind of men that want you to the point of obsession. That's just not me, I can't be that guy," Paul said, sitting up and putting some distance between us.

"I'm not asking for that Paul! I don't want some guy that follows me around, promising forever and wanting to change me into the person they want me to be. That's the problem with Jacob and I'm beginning to realize that I had the same problem with Edward: neither of them loved me for me. Both of them love me for the person they wish I were and not the person that I am. Edward wanted me to be docile and agreeable, he never wanted me to challeng him and never listening to me when I was unhappy. Jacob wants the girl I was when we were young, he hates who I am now. Can't you see Paul? I don't want a Jay Gatsby and I don't want to be Daisy. I want someone that sees me for who I am and doesn't care about my flaws," I said, reaching for him.

"Are you sure?" Paul asked sheepishly, holding my hand in his and gently brushing his thumb across the back of my knuckles.

"Why would I want to repeat past mistakes? I don't want to live in the past, I want to move on to a brighter future. Besides, Fitzgerald said it best," I said, leaning forward and grabbing The Great Gatsby off the bed where Paul had left it, flipping forward a few pages until I had found one of my favorite lines, "'I couldn't forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all very careless and confused. They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.' That's what the Cullens did: they came into my life, turned everyone's world upside down, created a mess and left everyone else to pick up the pieces. Even if Edward came back I wouldn't want any part of that world again."

"Even if the Cullen's left you would still be a part of that world- our world. You would still be a part of the pack, a part of the supernatural. Is that not what you want?" Paul asked, looking a bit injured at the thought of me possibly walking away from this life, from him.

"I don't want to be a vampire Paul. I don't want any part of that life. What I want is here: Charlie, this town, my home, my friends and family, the pack and you. All I want is everything that I have," I said as I looked into his eyes and showed him everything that was in my heart. Next thing I knew Paul was leaning into me. My eyes fluttered closed as his hand caught me gently behind the neck and he pressed his mouth to mine, softly but firmly. I could feel the rapid beat of his heart as a tingling heat spread through my body all the way to my toes. I could taste the sweet flavor of vanilla, peppermint and something spicy that I couldn't place on his lips, it was my new favorite flavor in the world. I wound the fingers of my good hand into his hair, pulling him closer as I felt the silky and fine texture I had come to know well in the past few months.

Too soon after the kiss began Paul pulled back, resting his forehead against mine as a giant smile appeared on his face and a gentle purr began to rumble in his chest.

"That was…"

"I know, for me too," Paul said as he leaned forward and gave me a quick peck before pulling me back into his arms and picking up our long forgotten book. Before opening the pages Paul looked down at me before sheepishly asking, "Next week, after all of your casts come off, would you want to go out with me somewhere? Like on an actual date?"

I could feel the butterflies pounding away at my stomach as I bit my lip, eagerly nodding and causing Paul to let out a relieved little chuckle. "I would love that," I said, snuggling back into his side.

"Great," he said before opening back up to the page that we had left off on. "Oh, and Bella? All I want is right here too," he said before leaving a quick kiss on my forehead and picking up in the story where we had left off.

**HE KISSED HER! FINALLY! What did y'all think? Did it live up to expectations? I hope so!**

**Love**_** it? Hate it? Review for a sneak peek of chapter 18!**_


	19. Chapter 18

**Hello fabulous readers! ****How are you doing today? When Darkness Turns To Light has officially reached 814 reviews and I couldn't be more thrilled! To celebrate you (the reader) I am posting this chapter a week early as a thank you. You guys are the best!**** Less than 200 reviews until we reach 1000! I know that I posted this last chapter, but as a major thank you to everyone reviewing I have decided to offer a special incentive:_ the 1000th reviewer (or the closest to 1000 if it's a guest reader) will get to pick a chapter- any chapter- that they want to see written in another character's POV_. Want to see girl's night from Jared's POV? How about the bonfire in Jacob's POV? Maybe the kiss from Paul's POV? Review and YOU will get to decide what the outtake will be. Sound cool? I think so! I can't wait to see what you guys pick!**

**I want to give a special shout-out to the amazing people that posted a review for Chapter 18: ****Lovefreely02, . .Food, Legolas' Girl 31, Rosegirl-17, Nyx Nuit, My Eyes Are Watching Everyone, Cailley Rachelle, Malisa97, MercyRaine, Guessjeansrock, Danmask-girl, JXB Addicted, LVilla06, Daddys little crazy bitch, twilightlover212, Paullvr, Janmary, Granny Wolf, Freedomwriter15, Jaz1990, mizz-sunshin3, ffranco1985, Chrome, Ranim, MakaylaLahote, Gothic Saku-chan, marion-v, Lily, LissyloveU, notashamedtobe, TwIfAn33, IDontCareILoveIt, rasheedah2907, MissLWitts, xxDark Angel Babyxx, Johanna, Melody-Rose-20, sweetness4683, dkamehameha, pangie34, Lola, kids2003, viau1 and everyone that reviewed as a guest- you guys are the best!**

**Previously on When Darkness Turns To Light:**

Next thing I knew Paul was leaning into me. My eyes fluttered closed as his hand caught me gently behind the neck and he pressed his mouth to mine, softly but firmly. I could feel the rapid beat of his heart as a tingling heat spread through my body all the way to my toes. I could taste the sweet flavor of vanilla, peppermint and something spicy that I couldn't place on his lips, it was my new favorite flavor in the world. I wound the fingers of my good hand into his hair, pulling him closer as I felt the silky and fine texture I had come to know well in the past few months.

Too soon after the kiss began Paul pulled back, resting his forehead against mine and as a giant smile appeared on his face and a gentle purr began to rumble in his chest.

"That was…"

"I know, for me too," Paul said as he leaned forward and gave me a quick peck before pulling me back into his arms and picking up our long forgotten book. Before opening the pages Paul looked down at me before sheepishly asking, "Next week, after all of your casts come off, would you want to go out with me somewhere? Like on an actual date?"

I could feel the butterflies pounding away at my stomach as I bit my lip, eagerly nodding and causing Paul to let out a relieved little chuckle. "I would love that," I said, snuggling back into his side.

"Great," he said before opening back up to the page that we had left off on. "Oh, and Bella? All I want is right here too," he said before leaving a quick kiss on my forehead and picking up in the story where we had left off.

**Chapter 18:**

The day had finally come for the casts around my leg and arm to come off and I honestly couldn't think of a moment that I had been more looking forward to- beside the heart stopping kiss from Paul and the hundreds of kisses we had shared since then.

"Are you ready to be free again?" The doctor asked, bringing me back to reality as Jared and Kim snickered at me from their seats in the corner of the room. Since Paul couldn't be here and I couldn't exactly move on my own Kim volunteered her wolf to be of service and, after Paul had threatened him to take care of me WITHOUT touching me, it was settled that they would take me.

"I am more than ready to lose these casts, that's for sure," I muttered, causing another round of giggles throughout the room.

"Whatever Bella, as if being carried around by hunky men like myself is such a terrible way to live," Jared joked, getting an elbow from Kim as the doctor took out the bone saw.

I cringed a little at the look of the dull blade, thoughts of it piercing my skin running through my mind that the doctor immediately picked up on. "Don't worry Ms. Swan, this is a dull blade. The quickly vibrating blade will cut through the plaster but it won't hurt your skin. See?" He said, demonstrating against his own arm. After getting my nod of approval he began to saw off the cast around my leg. Trying to distract me, the doctor asked, "so, what is the first thing you plan on doing when you get out of these?"

"I am taking a shower! I am in DESPARATE need of a good, long shower! I have been dreaming about taking one for weeks!" I told him enthusiastically.

"Alone? Or with PAUL?" Jared said, causing me to blush and Kim to elbow him in the ribs again.

"That's not funny!" I snapped, glaring at him for embarrassing me in front of a complete stranger.

"I was just teasing you! It's not my fault that Paul was thinking about that on patrol last night!"

"WHAT?" I shrieked, scaring the doctor a little bit. The poor man had just finished taking the cast off my leg and was looking a bit startled and confused himself.

"You were patrolling? Patrolling what?" Dr. Montgomery asked, obviously curious as he helped me stretch the weak muscles in my calf.

"Her boyfriend and I are in training to be policemen and some nights we have to go on patrol through the neighborhood for training," Jared said, giving Kim and I a look to go along with the story.

"Got to love a man in uniform," the doctor said, winking at a shocked Jared and a snickering Kim and I. "Looks like we're all done here!"

"Wow! I can't believe I didn't even feel a thing!" I said, shocked that he was right- the saw didn't hurt at all.

Chuckling, Doctor Montgomery helped my wrist and arm through a range of motions and noticed when I gave a slight wince of pain when it reached a certain angle. "Well the x-ray showed that your fractures are fully healed up, but you may still be feeling a bit of pain and that is completely normal. We're going to send you home with a sling for your arm and a walking boot for your ankle, please use them for about two weeks or until you aren't feeling any more pain. Now normally I would suggest going to physical therapy two times a week, but I know that Sue will be taking care of that for you at home. Because of the extent of your injury I suggest nothing more physical than small walks or swimming- you will certainly need to wait to do any strenuous activities like playing sports or running. How does everything feel?"

"It feels fine, a little sore but ok," I told him as he showed me how to put on my splint and walking boot and helped me to my feet. The leg felt really stiff and uncomfortable when I first stood up, causing me to wobble a bit, but I soon righted myself and proceeded to hobble a bit. The doctor handed me a prescription for new medication as he walked us out, Kim and Jared laughing behind us- no doubt because of my limp. I sent them a withering glare as I thanked the doctor and jumped into the back seat of Jared's jeep.

"You guys are jerks," I said as I buckled myself in, relieved that I could do it myself this time though still a bit cautious of placing it over my ribs- they were still really sore.

"I can't help it Bells, you are too cute with your little limp!" Kim squealed, looking back at me from the passengers seat and giving my knee a little squeeze. "I'm so happy to have you back to normal! Now when I piss Leah off you can come to me!"

"Yeah, Paul will be psyched too, he can finally take you on that date that he asked you on," Jared said as he pulled out of his parking spot and driving towards the pharmacy to fill my prescription.

"HE DID WHAT?!" Kim screamed, turning to me and jumping up and down in her seat excitedly. "Why didn't you tell me? I can't believe he asked you! That is so exciting! How did he ask you? You said yes, right? Obviously you said yes if he's taking you on one… I can't believe it, we should double date! That would be so much fun! Wouldn't that be fun J?"

Jared chuckled, patting her knee soothingly. "Don't worry Kimmy, I'm sure we will go on many double dates with Paul and Bella. They need to go on their first date before we can do that."

Satisfied with his answer Kim turned on me, a major pout on her face. "I can't believe you didn't tell me! I thought we were besties."

"We are! I just wanted to tell you in private," I said, giving the back of Jared's head a pointed look.

"Alright. But we WILL be talking about this at the bonfire tonight," Kim said, turning back around as we pulled into the Walgreens drive up pharmacy.

"What bonfire?"

"Kim! That was supposed to be a surprise!" Jared yelled as he shook his head her.

"Oops… Sorry Bella, I didn't mean to ruin the surprise… You have to pretend like you didn't know when we get back home, ok? Paul will be so pissed if he finds out I told you…" Kim pleaded with me.

"What surprise?" I asked jokingly, winking at her. "I guess that explains why Paul didn't put up a fight when he had to 'patrol' today…."

"He actually did go on patrol, the party was just the thing that stopped him from complaining about it," Jared joked, rolling his eyes at his friend's antics.

"So when is this party?" I asked, digging through the bag I had brought for my cell phone.

"I think we should leave that as a surprise, right Kim?" Jared said, giving his girlfriend a pointed look. Kim nodded happily before turning up the radio and effectively ending our conversation. While the couple up front held hands and began mooning over one another while we waited for my prescription I saw that I had missed a couple of messages from my own werewolf.

_Where are you guys? Is everything ok?- P_

_I knew I should have come…-P_

I could feel myself smiling; I knew he was probably freaking out because we were supposed to be home at least an hour ago.

_Don't worry Paul, everything's fine. We waited in the waiting room of that doctor's office for what felt like forever. Why, do you miss me? ~Bella_

_I always miss you baby- P_

_Aww, you're making me blush! How was patrol? ~Bella_

_It was uneventful. How do your arm and leg feel? Did you get your casts off?-P_

_Nope, I'm going to have to wear them for the rest of my life. You're just going to have to deal with my icky cast smell~ Bella_

_Haha. Really, how do you feel? –P_

_I feel ok. It's going to be a few weeks until I'm back to normal but I can finally walk by myself. You won't have to carry me everywhere anymore! ~Bella_

_Who said I'm going to stop carrying you around? –P_

"Everything ok back there? You've been pretty quite," Kim said, looking back at me with a knowing smirk. Her voice made me jump a bit; I was so caught up talking with Paul that I had actually forgotten where I was for a minute. I could feel a warm blush spread across my cheeks as Jared started laughing at me.

"Yeah Bells, what have YOU been up to? Sending dirty texts to your boyfriend?" Jared teased, obviously enjoying how embarrassed I was even though I hadn't done anything wrong.

"I'll save the sexting for you two," I said, giving them a pointed look and causing them to burst out laughing again.

"Is that jealousy I hear?" Kim joked as we pulled back into the drive through to grab my prescription.

"Hardly," I told her, rolling my eyes. I was about to say something about her being a text-skank when my phone vibrated in my hands.

_You guys on your way home? –P_

_I don't know, we might go get lunch and a movie or something. Why? What's up? ~Bella_

Kim leaned back and I showed her what I had texted Paul, snickering at my teasing. "You are so mean! You KNOW he has a party planned for you back on the reservation…"

"A little teasing never hurt anyone! Plus, Paul KNOWS I hate surprises and that I have a bad track record with surprise parties. He deserves to be teased a little," I told her as my screen lit up with another message.

_You sure Baby? I though you said you were looking forward to a shower? -P_

"He's probably freaking out right now," Jared said as we turned towards home. Sure enough Jared's phone began to ring a moment later causing the entire car to burst out in giggles. Kim reached over and turned the ringer off, rolling her eyes. "That guy has no faith in us… As if we would let Bella miss her own party!"

"To be fair you DID ruin the surprise…" Jared said, lifting her hand to his lips and placing a small kiss near her knuckles as she sighed happily.

"It's his own fault for telling me- he knows I can't keep a secret to save my life," Kim shrugged unapologetically as we pulled onto the reservation. The moment we pulled up to the Swan-Clearwater house my door was flung open and I found myself being pulled out of the car into a warm pair of arms.

"Paul you scared me half to death!" I giggled, wrapping my arm around his neck as he peppered my face in kisses. He swung me in a big circle, causing me to giggle even though the jostling of my ribs caused a slight but manageable pain. "Aww did you miss me? I was only gone a few hours!"

"I'm just glad to see that you're back to normal! What is all this? I thought the casts were coming off?" He asked, motioning to the boot and sling that I was wearing.

"Don't worry Paul, these are just temporary. We didn't break her on the way home," Kim joked, giving his shoulder a little nudge and earning her a little eye roll from the wolf that she had been taunting.

"Yeah Paul, maybe if you were so worried you should have just brought her yourself," Jared teased, ducking out of the way just in time to miss Paul's arm that had come swinging in his direction.

"Well if all the teasing is done for now I believe I was promised a nice warm shower," I said, tapping on Paul's chest and motioning to the arm that he still had wrapped around my waist.

"Sounds good. Just make sure you get changed into something comfortable when your done, we'll find something fun to celebrate your freedom."

"I can't wait," I said, catching Kim's eyes from over Paul's shoulder and giving her a playful little wink. Kim covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud as the group of us made our way to the house. Paul gave the group of us a strange look but thankfully didn't say anything- I didn't know if I could keep the secret for long and thankfully I didn't have to find out.

**_Love it? Hate it? Review for a sneak peek of chapter 19!_**


	20. Chapter 19

**Hey everyone, thank you so much for reading my story! I received a few flames last chapter and that is perfectly ok- I love to hear all feedback, good or bad. I take everyone's suggestions into consideration and I really do take reader's advice to make the story better. That said, telling me that my story is 'unfixable' and that I should 'learn to write or get off this site' or telling me that I should 'kill myself' for writing a story this bad sort of hurts my feelings. I'm sorry I can't give you back the two hours you spent reading this story, but it you hate it so much then stop reading? Sorry I offended you?**

**Anyway… I want to take an opportunity to thank everyone that reviewed the story: Viau1, marion-v, MissLWitts, rosegirl-17, kylynnjen, cmwillis, twifantasyfan, paullvr, Melody-Rose-20, Gothic Saku-chan, chocolatelover1999, Legolas' Girl 31, MakaylaLahote, IDontCareILoveIt, Eclipsefan4life, My Eyes Are Watching Everyone, hannahhull93, Giest, jmullinax, hateme101, angstar54, Granny Wolf, sweetness4683, JXB Addicted, twilightlover212, Mika the Dark princess, Cailley Rachelle, Janmary, MercyRaine and everyone that reviewed as a guest- you guys are the best!**

**I know that I posted this last chapter, but as a major thank you to everyone reviewing I have decided to offer a special incentive:**_** the 1000th reviewer (or the closest to 1000 if it's a guest reader) will get to pick a chapter- any chapter- that they want to see written in another character's POV**_**. Want to see girl's night from Jared's POV? How about the bonfire in Jacob's POV? Maybe the kiss from Paul's POV? Review and YOU will get to decide what the outtake will be. Sound cool? I think so! I can't wait to see what you guys pick!**

**Previously on When Darkness Turns To Light:**

"Paul you scared me half to death!" I giggled, wrapping my arm around his neck as he peppered my face in kisses. He swung me in a big circle, causing me to giggle even though the jostling of my ribs caused a slight but manageable pain. "Aww did you miss me? I was only gone a few hours!"

"I'm just glad to see that you're back to normal! What is all this? I thought the casts were coming off?" He asked, motioning to the boot and sling that I was wearing.

"Don't worry Paul, these are just temporary. We didn't break her on the way home," Kim joked, giving his shoulder a little nudge and earning her a little eye roll from the wolf that she had been taunting.

"Yeah Paul, maybe if you were so worried you should have just brought her yourself," Jared teased, ducking out of the way just in time to miss Paul's arm that had come swinging in his direction.

"Well if all the teasing is done for now I believe I was promised a nice warm shower," I said, tapping on Paul's chest and motioning to the arm that he still had wrapped around my waist.

"Sounds good. Just make sure you get changed into something comfortable when your done, we'll find something fun to celebrate your freedom."

"I can't wait," I said, catching Kim's eyes from over Paul's shoulder and giving her a playful little wink. Kim covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud as the group of us made our way to the house. Paul gave the group of us a strange look but thankfully didn't say anything- I didn't know if I could keep the secret for long and thankfully I didn't have to find out.

**Chapter 19:**

I came downstairs to the living room after my shower, careful on the stairs before I turned into the foyer. The shower I had just taken had been so incredible; it was diffidently one of the best I had ever taken in my life. I KNOW I had let out a few content moans as the steamy water surrounded me and I washed away the ickyness that the casts had left behind- I just hoped the spray of water had muffled the sounds from the werewolves downstairs. I was so relieved to feel clean for the first time in what felt like forever; being clean is pure bliss.

The television in the den was turned to some movie and my friends were spread throughout the room: Kim and Jared were curled up on the love seat together and Paul was sprawled out on the couch. He looked up and smirked at me as I made my way over to him, opening his arms for me to come join him.

"You sounded like you were enjoying yourself upstairs! Imagining anyone in particular?" Jared snarked.

"Huh?"

"You totally moaned Paul's name in the shower," Jared said with a smirk on his face, earning a smack from Kim and a vicious growl from Paul.

I felt my face heat up, completely embarrassed. "I did not! It just felt really good to finally wash off all the grime from the cast. Like you should even be complaining, you were the ones that had to deal with the smell!"

"That's true! I guess we can't call you smelly-belly anymore," he pouted playfully as I ducked my head into the crook of Paul's neck to hide my mortification.

"You are such a liar! I promise Bella, no one called you that. Jared here is just being an asshole," Kim reassured me, untangling herself from her werewolf and moving away from him. She smacked his hand away when he reached for her and he gave her a little pout that she completely ignored.

"Aw, come on Kimmy! She knows I'm just joking," he said, cuddling up behind her. Rolling her eyes, Kim gave in and let him hold her again. Those two were too cute and I was a bit jealous until I remembered that I was wrapped up in the arms of my own werewolf.

"Whatever Jared. So, how are we going to celebrate my freedom from these casts? I'm expecting something amazing, so no pressure or anything," I said to Paul, teasing him a bit.

Paul gave nothing away; he just leaned down a bit, nuzzling my neck. "How about we go to the beach? Today seems like the perfect day to soak up some sun- plus, I heard from Jared that the doctor said that swimming should help your leg, right?"

I knew exactly what he was doing: I knew he had planned a bonfire at the beach and he was trying to get us down there. Instead of being difficult and suggesting that maybe we do something else I went along with the plan. "Sure, sounds like fun. Kim can borrow one of my swimsuits and we can head down there," I said, getting up and motioning for Kim to join me. We changed into a couple of swimsuits –it was a bit awkward pulling it over my walking boot but I was too lazy to take it off- and headed back downstairs to meet up with the guys. I was actually looking forward to the party- though to be honest, I would have gone anywhere as long as it meant that I wasn't trapped in my bed.

We met back up with the guys in the foyer and walked outside together. Kim and I began heading down the path that would lead us to the beach when Paul began to steer us in a different direction. "Do you guys mind if we stop by my place for a second? I need to change before we head down to the water…"

We all nodded our agreement as we changed paths, heading the opposite direction towards the house at the end of the row. The sun on my face was a beautiful thing; it was the first time I had felt its warmth in what felt like forever. I swore that I would never take it for granted again.

When we got to the front porch Paul began digging in his pocket for the key to the house. After what felt like forever he finally found the key that fit the lock and the door swung open. He motioned us inside as he pulled the key from the lock and I found myself surrounded by flashing lights and yelling voices. Momentarily blinded by the flashes, it took my eyes a few moments to adjust to the room again and when I could finally see I began to recognize the faces of the pack members that were scattered throughout the living room and the kitchen.

Paul wrapped his arms around my waist, pressing a kiss to the side of my head as he whispered 'surprise!'

"You guys scared me half to death!" I said at the same time Kim yelled "HEY!" and gave Paul a little smack on the arm. "I thought you told me it would be a surprise BONFIRE! I can't believe you didn't tell me about this!"

"I wasn't born yesterday Kim, I know you can't keep a secret to save your life," Paul chuckled, rolling his eyes at his outraged friend.

"You can't be mad babe, you did tell Bella about the bonfire…" Jared said as Kim turned her glare on him.

"You knew and you didn't tell me!" She accused, not very happy with her wolf. "You are so dead Jared."

"Ok, enough arguing everyone. This is a party! Bella, we are so glad that you are doing well," Emily said, rushing over and pulling me into a big hug.

"Don't hog her Emily! We want a bite of baby-bell too!" Embry said, bumping her out of his way and playfully snapping his teeth at me as I was pulled into a hug. I laughed, playfully shoving him away from me as some of the others came to say hi. Most of the faces I recognized- like Charlie, Sue and most of the werewolves- but there were about four new faces in the crowd.

Paul had immediately disappeared somewhere with Sam and I was left with some of the rowdier werewolves that I hadn't seen in a while. I don't think I have ever been so popular at a party before!

It wasn't long until Kim introduced me to one of the newest members of the pack, a young girl that couldn't have been older than fifteen. "Bella this is Dakota Small and her brother Chitto. They joined the pack about a week ago and Jared and Leah have kind of taken them under their wings. Dakota, Chitto- this is Bella. She's one of the imprints."

"You can call me Chuck, it's nice to meet you," the boy said, raising my hand to his lips and placing a small kiss on the back of my hand. He gave me a flirty wink as I tried unsuccessfully to pull my hand away.

"Don't mess with her Chitto, she's Paul's imprint and he will end your life if he sees you hitting on her," Jared said, coming to the rescue and yanking the young boy into the kitchen behind him.

"Don't mind him, he flirts with anything that moves…" Dakota murmured, looking a bit embarrassed.

"He reminds me of Paul," I said back laughing, watching little Chuck flirt with one of the other imprints and earning a slap across the face. So funny.

We talked for a while; apparently the poor girl was still adjusting to her new ability but with Leah as a mentor I knew she would be just fine. Dean and Tim, the other two that I hadn't recognized, had apparently been werewolves for quite a while. They were Sam's age but had left the reservation a few years ago to go to college. Apparently the two had come back and joined the pack after talking with family and learning the truth about their ancestors; it couldn't have come at a more perfect time with the battle fast approaching. Dean and Tim were pretty standoffish and didn't stay for long, but I had to admit that I was relieved that the pack was growing- Paul told me that Victoria's army contained between 20 and 40 vampires and they completely outnumbered the thirteen (now seventeen) people that we had fighting on our side. I know that our side will be better-trained thanks to the Cullens, but any other advantage that our side can get is a good advantage in my book.

After hours of talking and laughing with some of the pack members that I hadn't seen in a while I was totally exhausted. My leg and arm ached from using them for the first time in about a month and the exhaustion of the day was beginning to set in. My sore limbs needed a break! Paul could tell (Paul could always tell when I was in any pain) and shooed everyone out, leaving us in peace as our friends took the party down to Emily's place.

As soon as everyone had gone Paul placed me on the island counter and he began to clean up around the house. I had wanted to help clean but Paul was having none of it: he wanted me off my feet - and if I was being honest it was nice to finally get off my sore leg.

Cleaning took no time at all: all of the leftover food and drinks went directly into the fridge; everything else was disposable and went in the trash. After the trash was taken out Paul lifted me up and carried us to the couch, flipping the TV on to some movie and wrapping us in a throw blanket. I couldn't help the yawn that escaped as I cuddled into my warm werewolf.

"You tired baby? Do you want me to take you home?" Paul fretted, brushing my hair away from my eyes and pulling the blanket a bit tighter around me.

"I am a bit tired, but I'm not ready to go to bed just yet. I'm happy to just be here like this with you," I said, leaning up and pressing a kiss to his Adam's apple.

"You didn't like the party?"

"I have to admit, it was a million times better than my last surprise party... That one started with a paper cut and ended with stitches and an entire family leaving town," I chuckled as I snuggled into Paul's side and played with his massive fingers. "It was so nice to see everyone, thank you for today."

"Your welcome baby. Everyone wanted to see you, they were so glad that you were ok… But honestly I'm glad everyone's gone and I get to have you to myself," he said, leaning down and capturing my lips with his. I ran my fingers through his hair tugging him closer to me as our kiss heated up. We pulled away for air and Paul began placing soft kisses and gentle nips along my neck when the front door slammed open.

Paul jumped to attention, dumping me unceremoniously on the couch before crouching protectively in front of me, growling at the intruder. "What the hell are you doing here?"

_**Love it? Hate it? Review for a sneak peek of chapter 19! 1000**__**th**__** reviewers get their own chapter!**_


	21. Chapter 20

**Hello fabulous readers! WE DID IT! WDTTL has officially surpassed the 1000 reviews amrk and I couldn't be more excited! Congratulations to o.0 rosa o.0 and HannahHull93- the two that tied for reviewer 1000! The two of them decided on what chapters they would like to see in another character's POV. _If you want to see an outtake of the infamous Jacob Black freakout from chapter 10 of WDTTL **in Jake's POV **go to my profile and check out the newly posted link, I can't wait to see what you guys think!_**

**A special thanks to my fabulous reviewers: **

**Adrianiforever, marion-v, kymmie, Melody-Rose-20, Mika the Dark princess, chocolatelover1999, JXB Addicted, 1241070, TheLegitBella4realz, Gothic Saku-chan, MissLWitts, twilightlover212, kylynnjen, lovefreely02, cmwillis, sethsgirl2013, Ariya-angels, ladyelmo323, notashamedtobe, ptl4ever419, TinkWinchester26, ffranco1985, loventherussian17, vaiu1, twimama77, Legolas' Girl 31, Interbabe, Beautiful-Liar13, Lexi-DeAnne Clearwater, Serinity Clearwater, Danmaskgirl, sweetness4683, Granny Wolf, o.0 rosa o.0, justme, HannahHull93, Jana, Cailley Rachelle, Janmary, Countrygirl1985, hateme101, My Eyes Are Watching Everyone, Olivia Williams, dkamehameha, jeniesethebeast, klmadison, junebug33, twilightfan2006, kimberr94 and everyone that reviewed as a guest- you guys rock! Instead of individual sneak peeks I am posting the story a week early (I am officially going bac to my normal posting schedule). Love you guys!**

**Previously on WDTtL:**

"Your welcome baby, but I'm glad everyone's gone and I get to have you to myself," he said, leaning down and capturing my lips with his. I ran my fingers through his hair tugging him closer to me as our kiss heated up. We pulled away for air and Paul began placing soft kisses and gentle nips along my neck when the front door slammed open.

Paul jumped to attention, dumping me unceremoniously on the couch before crouching protectively in front of me, growling at the intruder. "What the hell are you doing here?"

**Chapter 20**

"What? Am I not allowed to come to your little party?" A voice said from the shadows, creeping along the walls of the darkened room. My eyes couldn't quite make out the shape of the person but I could make out the reflection in their eyes as they crossed the room.

"You weren't invited," Paul snarled, following the figure with his body, standing protectively between us the entire time.

"Am I not allowed to be happy that she's ok? Am I not allowed to celebrate my friend feeling better?" The voice asked, not really looking for an answer.

"In MY house? I don't think so." Paul snarled, beginning to shake and quiver on the spot. "I thought vampires had to be invited in..."

"You probably thought we were allergic to garlic and crosses too, right?" The voice sneered, creeping closer by the second. "Nice try, but nothing is going to stand between my favorite human and I."

"Want to bet?" Paul snarled, crouching further to the ground.

"That is definitely a bet I am willing to make," the vampire said, stepping from the shadows and into the light of the television.

"Emmett!" I squealed, scrambling to my feet and heading towards him as quickly as my booted foot would let me. "What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't be on Quilute land," I giggled as he lifted me into his arms and swung me around like a rag doll before pulling me in for a big hug.

"Like I would let anything keep me from my favorite little sister," he said before placing me gently back on my feet and helping me back to the couch. Paul had his arms crossed, glaring at the vampire and shaking uncontrollably.

"You couldn't have waited for her to come see you?" He asked coldly.

"Nope, I can honestly say that I couldn't have waited another minute," Emmett said before plopping down on the couch next to me and ruffling my hair.

I cast Emmett an annoyed look and then I noticed what he was wearing. Emmett was decked head to toe in black: Black camo pants, black army boots, a black long sleeved shirt, a black hoodie and even a black hat. "Planning on robbing a bank Em?" I asked, giving him a playful shoulder smack.

"Nope! This is my ninja outfit; I wear it when I want to sneak in and out of places unseen," He said, getting off of the couch and showing me his kung-fu moves.

"Yeah right fat-ass, like you could ever blend in to the surroundings," Paul said, sitting back down on the couch and wrapping me in his arms possessively.

Emmett gave Paul the middle finger with a mischievous look on his face, "I wouldn't be so sure Paul…"

"I believe you Emmy-Bear! You are so sneaky it's crazy!" I told him, trying to prevent him from subjecting me to the same fate that I KNOW Paul was going to have to go through.

"Too late Jelly-Belly, no amount of sweet talking is going to save you from some of the stealth attacks I have planned," Emmett said before quickly turning on me and tickling me until I couldn't breathe.

"Emmett! Emmett stop it!" I gasped, trying and failing to get away from the big buffoon that was unrelenting in his torture. Paul growled at Emmett viciously before pulling me away and standing protectively in front of me.

"Haven't you heard that NO means NO," Paul growled, looking accusingly at Emmett.

"He was just goofing around Paul," I said, reaching forward and wrapping my arms around his waist.

"I just don't like him touching you like that," He murmured, raising my hand to his lips and pressing a kiss into my palm.

"If you guys are done here I actually DID come for an alternate reason…" Emmet said, a mischievous look on his face.

Paul look mildly terrified as he asked, "What the hell did you do this time?"

"I'm not saying I did anything and I'm not saying that I didn't… But what I AM saying is that you should probably head down to Embry's house. I guarantee you won't regret it."

"What's going on? What's at Embry's house?" I asked, looking between the two boys and not having a clue what on earth they were talking about in the slightest.

"Emmett has been pranking the pack lately… I came home the other day after patrol for a quick snack and found all of my glasses, plates and silverware replaced with dog bowls and all of the food was gone. He had left me a bag of kibble." Paul said, glaring at Emmett who had an angelic look on his face.

"Would I do that?"

"Yes." Paul and I said together, watching a giant smile cross Emmett's face.

"I'm hurt you think so little of me! I was serious though, you guys should head down to your friends house… I wouldn't want to miss his reaction to the prank."

Paul leaned down and hoisted me up on his back, giving me a piggy-back ride, and we headed next door to see what on earth Emmett could have possibly done. We gave a quick knock on the door and immediately came face to face with Embry. "What are you guys doing here? Didn't I just see you like an hour ago?"

"Yes, but Emmett sent us over here- he said he had set up a prank for you and that we had to be there to watch the look on your face when you found it," I said, peeking around Paul's head and into the room.

"Well you guys are more than welcome inside but there is nothing out of place here," Embry said, pushing the door open and motioning for us to come in. The boys sniffed around for a bit and discovered that Emmett hadn't been in the house let alone left a prank for Embry there.

"There's nothing here Paul. Maybe he just wanted to get you guys out of the house? You didn't leave him there, did you?" Embry asked, looking between Paul and I. A look of fear crossed Paul's features and was quickly replaced with absolute fury. He quickly turned on his heel and stormed out the front door. Embry and I exchanged a look before we hurried to follow, neither of us wanting to miss what was sure to be an awesome prank.

The door to Paul's house was open wide and a terrifying growl rang through the house as we walked up the pathway. "Uh… You better stay behind me Bells, I don't want you to get hurt or anything," Embry said, placing me carefully behind him just in case Paul completely lost it…

Embry and I slowly made our way into the living room, expecting to see some horror that would cause Paul to flip out…. What we found was… Well…. Hysterical. Every surface of the living room, the kitchen and leading up the stairs was absolutely COVERED in dog toys. I don't know how Emmett did it; there must have been thousands of toys throughout the house. A traitor giggle escaped from my body and I quickly covered my mouth to try my best to contain it.

Paul turned on me, glaring and shaking from head to toe. "You think this is funny Bells? I don't even OWN a dog!"

"Aw, is the little puppy angry?" I giggled, unable to contain myself any longer and letting out a happy laugh.

"I am going to kill that guy," Paul muttered, looking around helplessly for a way to get rid of all of these toys. Off in the distance I thought I could make out a loud laugh but I couldn't tell if it was really Emmett or just my mind playing tricks on me. "Joke is on him, I'm returning all of this shit," Paul said, tossing Embry and I a couple of trash bags before rounding up all of the squeakers and balls.

"You should consider yourself lucky; he glued all of the doors and cabinet's shut in Sam's house. The two of them are STILL climbing in and out of their living room window to get in and out of the house," Embry chuckled, obviously amused.

"That sounds like Emmett alright; ever the joker," I laughed. Of course he would be pranking the pack; he had close to a century of amazing pranks stored up in that mind of his, I couldn't wait to see what he had come up with next.

About half way through our cleanup of the epic mess that Emmett had created my phone started to ring. "Hello?"

"Bella it's Alice. Look, I know you're not really going to want to hear this but I've had a vision that you need to know about…

**Love it? Hate it? Review for a sneak peek of chapter 21!**

_*******If you want to see an outtake of the infamous Jacob Black freakout from chapter 10 of WDTTL **in Jake's POV **go to my profile and check out the newly posted link, I can't wait to see what you guys think!********_


	22. Chapter 21

**Hello fabulous readers! I'm so sorry that I haven't sent out previews to the amazing people that reviewed but I literally JUST finished this chapter 5 minutes ago- I don't know why but it just refused to write itself... I hate when that happens! Also I'm a week late posting Winner Takes All... Whatever. Send your angry mob with torches and pitchforks to my friend/beta Hannah's house- she totally distracted me when she introduced me to anime *SIGH*. **

**Anyway! A special thanks to: **

LolosDistraction, Lovefreely02, Gothic Saku-chan, Mika the Dark princess, MarionV, Olivia Williams, ffranco1985, Jana, twimama77, My Eyes Are Watching Everyone, chocolatelover1999, junebug33, JXB Addicted, Melody-Rose-20, o.0 rosa o.0, sisteria27, FreedomWriter15, dkamehameha, sweetness4683, Legolas'Girl31, alwaysandforeveryou1, twilightlover212, Janmary, Cailley Rachelle, Dottyanne, Beth626, , littleweb, and everyone that reviewed as a guest- you guys are awesome!

**Previously on When Darkness Turns To Light:**

"I am going to kill that guy," Paul muttered, looking around helplessly for a way to get rid of all of these toys. Off in the distance I thought I could make out a loud laugh but I couldn't tell if it was really Emmett or just my mind playing tricks on me.

"Joke is on him, I'm returning all of this shit," Paul said, tossing Embry and I a couple of trash bags before rounding up all of the squeakers and balls.

"You should consider yourself lucky; he glued all of the doors and cabinet's shut in Sam's house. The two of them are STILL climbing in and out of their living room window to get in and out of the house," Embry chuckled, obviously amused.

"That sounds like Emmett alright; ever the joker," I laughed. Of course he would be pranking the pack; he had close to a century of amazing pranks stored up in that mind of his, I couldn't wait to see what he had come up with next.

About half way through our cleanup of the epic mess that Emmett had created my phone started to ring. "Hello?"

"Bella it's Alice. Look, I know you're not really going to want to hear this but I've had a vision that you need to know about…

**Chapter 21:**

"What is it Alice?" I asked, catching Paul's eye from across the room.

"I'm so sorry Bella, I don't know how he found out…. None of us told him, how could he have found out? Why would he be coming here?"

"Who? Alice you need to calm down, I can barely hear you," I told her, feeling a strange sinking in my stomach. There is only one person she could be talking about and it is the absolute last person I wanted to see at the moment…

"It's Edward, Bella. Somehow he found out that we came back here and he's on his way now. I'm so sorry," she said, sounding a bit panicked.

"It's ok Alice, it's not a big deal."

"Promise?"

"Yeah. I always knew in the back of my mind that he would come back here, I just thought I would have more time I guess…" I said, glancing up to find Paul shaking violently and Embry slowly backing out the door.

"The strangest part is that I can't see how he found out. If it was one of us I would have been able to see it… Do you think it could have been one of the pack?"

"Jacob," Paul snarled, the vibrating doubling as he began to lose control of his body. Abruptly he turned on his heel and stormed out the back door, shedding his clothes and disappearing into the forest behind his house.

Embry and I exchanged a look before he shrugged and went back to packing up dog toys. "Thanks for the warning Alice, I appreciate it," I told her before ending the call.

"Well that's a fun new twist," Embry muttered sarcastically.

"I just don't understand why Jacob would bring Edward into this- Jacob hates Edward."

"If I know Jacob as well as I think I do then it's probably because of Paul again. If he can't be with you then he doesn't want anyone to be with you, especially Paul. He probably called Edward because he thinks that's the only person you would ever leave Paul for," Embry reasoned, sliding the lasts of the toys into the trash bags and tying them shut.

"I guess I just don't understand why he hates Paul so much," I said, sitting on the edge of the black leather sofa nearest to me and waiting for an explanation.

"A few years ago Jacob's sister fell for him and he broke her heart- that's one of the reasons she moved so far away for school. I don't think Jacob has ever forgiven Paul and I believe that's the reason he doesn't like him or trust him."

"What did Paul do to her?" I asked, holding my head between my hands. Why is it the more I hear about Paul's past with girls the worse it makes me feel about our relationship (or whatever the hell we were).

"Paul didn't do anything, I promise. She had liked him for years and, when they finally went on a couple of dates, Paul just wasn't feeling it. He let her down easily but she was embarrassed and heartbroken," he told me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders comfortingly. "Look Bella, I know all the stories you have heard about Paul but he's honestly not a bad guy. He really cares for you, you should never doubt that."

We stayed like that for a moment when suddenly there was a piercing howl. I felt Embry stiffen next to me as he hurriedly stood up and pulled me with him. "I really need to go Bella. Kim lives a few doors down, I'll take you there until Paul can take you home, ok?" He asked, roughly shoving my jacket into my arms and ushering me out of the house. We quickly jogged to Kim's house and knocked on the door before Embry disappeared.

"What's up Bella? Long time no see," Kim giggled, opening the door and pulling me in.

"Yeah, sorry about that… I'm not entirely sure why Embry took me here instead of taking me home," I said, a bit startled.

"When there is a threat to the pack they typically like the imprints to stick together-we're easier to protect that way," she told me, dragging me behind her down the darkened hallway that led to her game room. "Jared and I were about to watch 300 or something but now that he's gone and you're here we can watch a chick flick!"

"Yay?" I said, not really excited about watching some girlie movie about shopping but totally willing to go along with what she wanted.

"What movie do you want to watch?"

"I don't care, it's up to you," I told her, settling into the couch for a long evening.

...

Kim and I chatted for a while after we sat down for the movie but I must have fallen asleep because I was startled awake when I felt a heavy blanket draped across my lap. "Sorry Bella, I didn't mean to wake you," Jared whispered, turning off the television and placing the remote on the table next to me.

"It's fine, thanks for the blanket. Where's Kim?" I asked, rubbing my eyes and taking a quick glance around the room for my friend.

"She was asleep too, I just carried her upstairs and tucked her in bed. I just wanted to make sure you had everything you need before I went up to join her," he told me, handing me a throw pillow.

"Where's Paul?"

"You might not see much of Paul for a few days; he shared the phone call you received from Alice with the pack and, once we learned that Jacob was the one that found Edward, Paul's anger took over. He's going to need a few days to cool down and then he'll be back to normal- or as normal as Paul gets," Jared reassured me as I settled back on the couch.

"Are you sure? You don't think he needs me?"

Jared chuckled as he headed to the door, "don't worry Bella, the best thing you can do for Paul right now is to stay out of his way and keep yourself out of danger. Seriously, don't go looking for him. If Paul lost control of himself in front of you he would never forgive himself. No, you're better off right where you are. Goodnight Bella."

"Goodnight Jared," I said, pulling the blanket tighter around myself as I let the black cloud of sleep pull me under.

...

I woke up the next morning to the smell of coffee and bacon permeating the house. My stomach grumbled at the thought of a warm plate of bacon and eggs and didn't take me long to scramble off the couch and into the kitchen.

"Morning Bella!" Kim said from the stove, flipping pancakes with a long spatula. Jared and Paul were already sitting at the kitchen table practically swallowing their food whole. Kim handed me a plate and a steaming mug of coffee before ushering me to the table. "I saved you a plate before these ruffians sat down."

"Hey! I resent that!" Jared said around a mouth full of food.

"You can't complain if you know it's true," Kim sang, turning back to the stove and continuing her cooking. Jared gave me a wink as he continued to shovel in pancakes as fast as Kim could make them.

"Morning babe," Paul said when I sat down, taking a brief second away from his huge pile of breakfast to place a sweet kiss on my temple.

"Morning. I'm a bit surprised you're here Paul, I thought the big bad wolf would still be out prowling the woods," I joked, adding sugar and creamer to my coffee and sitting back to watch the show. I didn't think it was possible for two boys to eat enough food for a family of ten…

"The big bad wolf decided to save his anger for another day," Jared said, swiping a piece of bacon off of Paul's plate and earning a warning growl.

"No point in being angry yet, we don't even really know what's going to happen," Paul said, sliding his hand on my knee under the table and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"That's a good way of looking at it Paul," Kim said, turning and giving him a grin.

"Besides, we wouldn't want anything to ruin Paul and Bella's first date tonight, right Paul?" Jared teased.

"THEY'RE DOING WHAT TONIGHT?!"

**Love it? Hate it? Review for a sneak peek of chapter 22!**

*******Don't forget to check out the WDTtL outtakes on my profile page!******


	23. Chapter 22

**Hello everyone! Thank you so much for reading my story! I really hope you guys like this chapter, it was one of my favorites to write!**

**A special thanks to: Notmyfault, Mika the Dark princess, ffranco1985, ladyelmo323, JXB Addicted, Dottyanne, Malisa Uley Clearwater Call, Melody-Rose-20, Legolas' Girl 31, 1241070, Granny Wolf, TheLegitBella4realz, twimama77, notashamedtobe, Sexxilexxi, Jellybean Coconut, Notlad09, Gothic Saku-chan, Sirens Sleep, Serinity Clearwater, twifantasyfan, mizz-sunshin3, Whazzap, dkamehameha, Chrome, Janmary, twilightlover212, Maya, MercyRaine, soagirlforever, iloveyoumybabyblue, SassYNoleS, eamurray022980, and everyone that reviewed as a guest- you guys rock!**

Oh! A Happy Happy Birthday to Malisa Uley Clearwater Call- one of my fabulous readers. Thank you so much for reading and loving the story! This chapter is for you =)

**Previously on WDTTL:**

"Morning. I'm a bit surprised you're here Paul, I thought the big bad wolf would still be out prowling the woods," I joked, adding sugar and creamer to my coffee and sitting back to watch the show. I didn't think it was possible for two boys to eat enough food for a family of ten…

"The big bad wolf decided to save his anger for another day," Jared said, swiping a piece of bacon off of Paul's plate and earning a warning growl.

"No point in being angry yet, we don't even really know what's going to happen," Paul said, sliding his hand on my knee under the table and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"That's a good way of looking at it Paul," Kim said, turning and giving him a grin.

"Besides, we wouldn't want anything to ruin Paul and Bella's first date tonight, right Paul?" Jared teased.

"THEY'RE DOING WHAT TONIGHT?!"

**Chapter 22**

When Kim found out that Paul had officially asked me to go on a date with him tonight she screamed extremely loudly, causing Jared to practically break the breakfast table that we had been sitting at- apparently his instincts told him that Kim was being attacked. Poor Jared was both relieved and angry when he realized his mate was just freaking out about her friends finally going out officially.

When Kim finally settled back down she immediately demanded that the two of us go shopping for the perfect outfit- the fact that Paul and I were only going to be grabbing dinner and a movie didn't faze her at all. It wasn't long before Kim and I jumped into her little jeep and drove into Port Angeles for a day of torture (for me at least).

The hours of following Kim through countless department stores and boutiques gave me flashbacks of when Alice Cullen 'helped' me in a similar way about a year ago when I had first moved to town. The main difference between Alice and Kim was the last shop that I was dragged to…

"Really Kim? Victoria's Secret? We literally JUST had our first kiss the other day, he's not going to get to see any of this on the first date!" I told her as I hobbled down the aisle behind her, my heavy walking boot clinking every few steps.

"Sexy underwear isn't for Paul! Well... I guess it sort of is eventually, but tonight the sexy underwear is for you! I know that you must be feeling less than attractive wearing your walking boot and the sling on your arm, wearing sexy underwear under your clothes will make you feel sexy even if your man doesn't see it. Believe me Bella, with that walking boot and arm sling you're going to need all of the sexy you can get. Now grab this in your size and follow me," Kim said, placing a bright pink corset in my hand before disappearing into another rack of underwear.

"Uh... Kim, I'm not wearing this," I told her, placing the dangerous looking outfit back on the rack.

"Don't you dare Bella! You WILL go try that on with these," she said, placing about a dozen bras in my arms and giving me a gentle push towards the dressing rooms. "Let me know when you have the corset on!"

Rolling my eyes I made my way back to the dressing rooms before placing the bras down and debating the best way to get that scary looking corset on. It wasn't long before my phone vibrated in my pocket with a text from Paul.

Hey baby, how's shopping going? –P

It's torture! Save me! ~Bella

Haha. Really, how's it going? –P

It's fine, Kim's having a great time ~Bella

I'm glad. So I was wondering if you wanted to do dinner or movie first? –P

Haven't you heard? It's like the unofficial rule of first dates that the movie comes first so the couple has something to talk about during dinner ~Bella

I guess we should do that then, god forbid we break the first rule of dating –P

Haha you're a riot. Really though, movie first? ~Bella

Sounds good to me. See you soon Bells, I can't wait for tonight –P

Me either! I'm so excited~ Bella

"Have you tried on the corset yet? How does it look?" Kim asked, knocking on the dressing room door and scaring me half to death.

"Uh... Not exactly," I murmured, casting a wary glance at the crazy looking piece of fabric that Kim had insisted would look 'fabulous' on me.

"Whatever, I'm coming in," Kim said, shoving the door open and giving me a knowing look when she saw the phone in my hands. "Oh, I see how it is- you can't try on clothes because you're too busy chatting with your _BOYFRIEND!_"

"Maybe…" I said, turning bright red.

"You guys are too cute!"

"Yeah yeah, funny…" I said, rolling my eyes at her for her obvious teasing

"You know I'm just teasing you Bella! To be perfectly honest, I love how happy you two make each other. I don't know anyone more deserving of happiness than the two of you," Kim said, helping me into the corset and lacing it up in the back.

"Thank you Kim, that is so sweet," I said, trying in vain to breathe as the strings on my back were pulled tighter and tighter. "Uh, Kim? I don't think I should get this."

"Why? It looks incredible on you! Take a look," she said, turning me towards the mirror so I could see myself. I did look pretty good- but pretty good wasn't exactly worth the price of the humiliation I would go through if I passed out into my pasta that night.

"It's cute but I'm not getting a corset. I can't get it on or off by myself and there's no way I'm asking Leah or Paul for help. Besides, I can't breathe at all," I told her, fidgeting uncomfortably as I began to feel light headed.

Kim sighed, looking longingly at my reflection in the mirror. "Ok, you don't have to get it. I just love corsets!"

"Then why don't you get one? A little help?" I asked, pointing to the string that was holding the piece of material to my body. Kim rushed over and untied the string from my back, helping lift the piece of cloth over my head and placing it in the designated 'no' pile.

"There's no point in getting one, Jared will just rip it anyway," Kim muttered, reaching for the next bra that I had to try on and handing it to me before turning around and giving me a bit of privacy.

"Wow, I never would have guessed that you guys were so…"

"Wild? Yeah, Jared's a beast in the sack," Kim giggled, turning back around and giving me a nod of approval before handing me the next piece to try on.

"Wow, TMI Kim," I laughed, shrugging into the frilly navy bra that I was just handed.

"What? Don't act like a prude, I'm sure you've had some crazy nights with your vampire!"

"Nope, I've still got my V-card," I told her with a shrug, grabbing for the next bra before trying to take off the one I was wearing.

"What do you mean? I thought you guys had sleepovers all the time!"

"He crawled through my window and watched me sleep every night, yes. Edward and I never did anything more than kiss though; he wanted to wait until we were married before we fooled around," I told her, watching the look of surprise on her face grow.

"Really? You guys were together for months, I can't believe nothing happened!"

"Believe it, it's the truth. That's why I am a little bit wary of being with Paul; apparently he's got this long list of girls he's slept with, what will he think when we finally get together and I'm so inexperienced?"

"Oh Bella, you have nothing to worry about! Guys LOVE to be the a girl's first, especially our guys," Kim told me, rearranging the clothes and helping sort through the 'maybe' pile.

"You mean…"

"Oh yeah, Jared's my one and only. Believe me, he was ecstatic to be my first. There's no doubt in my mind that Paul will be happy to be your first too."

"Let's just get through the first date before we plan anything more, ok? I'm nervous enough as it is about tonight," I told her, looking in the mirror at the lacy red number that Kim had picked out.

"Don't be nervous Bells! You guys are going to have so much fun- and you are going to look HOT! Paul will totally drool when he sees you in this," Kim said, tugging at the straps and adjusting the length of them a bit. "I'm going to grab this in the next cup size up, I'll be right back!"

Kim disappeared for a moment and returned with a second huge pile of bras for me to try on. Great.

…..

After trying on what felt like thousands of stupid bras and panties, Kim had finally narrowed it down to the 'sexiest five outfits' and made me buy all of them (apparently I NEEDED them for future dates). Kim's final choices of lingerie had way more lace and frills than I was used to wearing but apparently it would drive Paul crazy (I didn't even want to think about how she knew that).

The drive home took no time at all and before I knew it we were pulling onto the reservation and up to my house. We had just stepped out of the car when the front door of the house opened and out came Jared and Paul to help us with our bags.

"I missed you," Paul said, nuzzling my neck and wrapping his arms around me.

"I missed you too babe, I'm excited for tonight," I said, opening the trunk and sorting through the mess for my bags.

"Ooh, is that a Victoria's Secret bag? Have something you need to tell me Kim?" Jared asked, tipping the bag and trying to take a peek inside.

Kim smacked his hand away, giggling at her over excited boyfriend. "Don't get your hopes up JerBear, those are for Bella," Kim said giving me a little wink before handing some of the bags to him and pointing to the house.

Jared rolled his eyes and pouted, stomping up to the house with all of the bags in hand. Giggling, Kim ran after him.

"So that bag is yours? Do I get to sneak a peek later tonight?" Paul asked, wiggling his eyebrows and giving me a flirtatious wink.

"Uh… No. Sorry to disappoint you," I told him, shrugging out of his arms and grabbing for the last of the bags.

"I was just joking Bella, you know I would never pressure you into doing anything you didn't want to do. I'm happy with where we are now and if you someday want more then I will be happy with that too," He said, pulling me back into his arms and holding me close.

"You sure about that? So if I said I didn't want to do anything more than hold hands and kiss like we do now you would be perfectly fine with that?"

"I want to give you everything you have ever wanted. If that means you only want a cuddle buddy then I will be the best cuddle buddy you will ever have."

"Thank you," I said, leaning up on my tiptoes and pressing a soft kiss on his cheek. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, causing the butterflies in my stomach to flutter as he slowly deepened the kiss. Every single time his lips touched mine I got that feeling- excitement, longing, nervousness and desperation; I secretly hoped it would never go away.

"Bella! Get your ass in here, we only have TWO HOURS to get you ready for tonight!"

**Love it? Hate it? Review for a sneak peek of chapter 23!**


	24. Chapter 23

**Hello fabulous readers! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing When Darkness Turns To Light! I wanted to let you guys know right now that the upcoming weeks are going to be a little bit crazy for me: sumer break begins on Tuesday and I am driving up to my Grandmother's house to pack up her belongings before we sell her house. I bet you are wondering why I am telling you this... Well... My grandmother's house has no internet. I know, I am as devastated as you guys probably are. The good news? Since I won't have any distractions I will be doing a LOT of writing. The bad news? No updates. I'm so sorry! I will try my hardest to get something up and posted next week, but I make absolutely no promises. Anyway! Who is excited for the date? ME! _I do have a major warning though: I WILL be talking about the movie Old Yeller in this chapter- there are major spoilers about it and I don't want to give anything away if you haven't seen it..._ **

****I Do not own Old Yeller or Twilight****

**I want to give a special thank you to my amazing reviewers: **

JXB Addicted, Junebug33, arayth3darkpr1nc3ss, Chrome, twifantasyfan, bakerusaf, Gothic Saku-chan, Chocolatelover1999, Legolas' Girl 31, Interbabe, Dottyanne, Myan Calendar, Mika the Dark princess, lyssmcgrath, Granny Wolf, TheLegitBella4realz, EclipseFan4Life, Ihatemona, TwilightOwnsMyHeart, NinjaChef1991, Logan, ffranco1985, Gracfully, Melody-Rose-20, mizz-sunshin3, MiMiSassyGurl, orionfoo, Notlad09, soagirlforever, Les Reves Doux, lovefreely02, OrionRedde, WolfClub, and everyont that reviewed the chapter as a guest. You guys are the best! I honestly don't know how I would do this without you guys!

**Previously on When Darkness Turns To Light:**

"I was just joking Bella, you know I would never pressure you into doing anything you didn't want to do. I'm happy with where we are now and if you someday want more then I will be happy with that too," He said, pulling me back into his arms and holding me close.

"You sure about that? So if I said I didn't want to do anything more than hold hands and kiss like we do now you would be perfectly fine with that?"

"I want to give you everything you have ever wanted. If that means you only want a cuddle buddy then I will be the best cuddle buddy you will ever have."

"Thank you," I said, leaning up on my tiptoes and pressing a soft kiss on his cheek. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, causing the butterflies in my stomach to flutter as he slowly deepened the kiss. Every single time his lips touched mine I got that feeling- excitement, longing, nervousness and desperation; I secretly hoped it would never go away.

"Bella! Get your ass in here, we only have TWO HOURS to get you ready for tonight!"

**Chapter 23:**

I took a quick shower before Kim hustled me out, sitting me in a barstool she had taken from the kitchen island downstairs and letting the REAL torture began. True to her word, Kim took about two hours to finish poking, prodding, curling and primping me to give me the 'natural look'. I honestly don't know why on earth someone would spend hours to look like they had no makeup on, but I had to admit: I looked beautiful. I grudgingly had to hand it to Kim: the cute underwear under the little black and white dress that she had picked out for me DID make me feel sexy and more confident despite the stupid arm sling and walking boot.

As if feeling beautiful wasn't enough, the moment I walked down the stairs and saw the expression on Paul's face confirmed what I had been thinking: the torture was worth it.

"Wow. You look beautiful," Paul said, helping me down the last few stairs and pulling me into his arms for a sweet kiss. When he pulled back I was handed a stunning bouquet of sunflowers. "These are for you."

"Thank you! Give me a minute, I need to put these in water…"

"I'll take those! You two go have fun," Kim said, reaching for the flowers before stepping back into Jared's waiting arms. I mouthed 'thank you' to Kim as Paul helped me into my jacket and to the car. Kim and Jared were absolutely glowing from the front porch, waving happily as Paul's truck pulled out of my driveway.

The drive into Seattle was a little uncomfortable for some reason. We had been basically living together for weeks but for some reason I have had butterflies in my stomach that no amount of small talk could calm or get rid of. As if Paul could sense this, he reached across the divider and took my shaking hand in one of his larger ones, rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand in small, soothing circles. "Don't be nervous baby, we're going to have a good time."

I gave him a little smile before turning back to the window and watching the trees blur by. I let out the breath I had been holding in and decided to treat this like any other day; I didn't think it would be as nerve-wracking if I told myself it was just a normal night out for the two of us.

We sat in silence for the remainder of the drive, looking out the windows and listening to the radio until we finally reached downtown Seattle. Paul dropped my hand as we pulled up to the revival theatre, putting the car in park before jumping out, running to get my door and then helping me out of the car.

"That was pretty gentlemanly of you," I told him, a bit surprised that he had remembered to do that for me.

"I know, I'm full surprises. Maybe I can show you exactly how gentlemanly I can be later tonight," he said, kissing my knuckles and giving me a playful look that said what he wanted to do to me later tonight was far from gentlemanly.

I laughed out loud, shaking my head and causing a giant smile to appear on his face. Paul continued to open doors for me on the way into the movie theater, giving me a sweet smile as he told me how beautiful I looked in the little white and black dress that Kim had forced me into. Paul couldn't stop staring at my legs, even when the ticket girl began flirting with him. The skank even 'dropped' our tickets so the could pick it up in a way that she probably thought was sexy. The ticket girl looked back at us and made a sour face when she realized that Paul hadn't paid any attention to her whatsoever. I couldn't help myself; I laughed out loud as the girl threw our ticket stubs at us and stormed out of her little cubby in a huff.

"What's up with you?" Paul asked, opening the door to our movie for me and placing a hand on my lower back to usher me into the theater.

"You honestly didn't see that girl throwing herself at you?" I asked skeptically, glancing at him from the corner of my eye.

Paul looked so confused that it was almost comical. He spun around, trying to see the girl I was talking about before asking, "what girl?"

I laughed out loud as Paul looked at me like I was crazy. "You didn't notice the girl collecting tickets practically shove her boobs in your face? She practical gave you a lap dance."

"I didn't see her," he muttered as we sat in our seats. "Why? Is someone a little jealous?"

"I'm not jealous, I'm just surprised that 'playboy' Paul Lahote didn't even noticed the hot girl blatantly hitting on him," I teased, trying to stifle the butterflies that had begun to flutter in my stomach again at the intense look he was giving me.

"This time last year I probably would have snuck out during the movie and met up with that chick in the bathrooms or something- but I'm not that guy anymore. To be perfectly honest, I don't see any woman but you anymore," he told me, taking my hand in his and placing a gentle kiss on my knuckles.

"That's sweet?"

"I know it's not exactly what you want to hear, but I AM trying to be better for you."

"I know you are, thank you," I told him, leaning in and pressing a kiss to his cheek. I sat back in my seat and gave him a little smile before completely changing the topic. "So, what movie are we going to see anyway?"

"Tonight the theater is playing Old Yeller."

"Oh yeah? I haven't seen that movie since I was little!"

'Yeah, I used to love this movie as a kid."

"I loved the movie, but the ending is so sad! I'm pretty sure the ending makes me cry every single time that I watch it," I told him, turning towards the screen as the lights began to dim.

"What are you talking about? Old Yeller isn't a sad movie," Paul said, giving me a disbelieving look.

"Not sad? Have you not seen the ending?" I asked, not sure if he was kidding or not.

"Are you sure we're talking about the same movie?" He asked, giving me a wary glance as he not so stealthily wrapped his arm around my shoulders and making sure to avoid the arm in the sling.

"I guess we'll see," I said, snuggling into his side and turning to watch the opening credits.

…

"That was not the same movie I remember," Paul said, sniffling a little bit and trying to discreetly wipe at his red-ringed eyes as we made our way out of the theater and back to Paul's car.

"I can't believe you have seen that movie before and never watched it through to the ending!" I said, digging through my bag and pulling out a little package of tissues before offering a few to Paul who vehemently shook his head no. Paul wrapped an arm around my shoulder and lead the two of us out of the theater pretty quietly, avoiding conversation as he stealthily wiped at his eyes and sniffled a bit. "You ok Paul?"

"I'm fine, stop bugging me about it," Paul snapped, whipping his eyes again.

"Don't be like that! It was a sad movie, I cried a little too."

"Men don't cry, I just had a little dust in my eye. I mean, that WAS an old theater…"

"Ok," I said, letting it go. Poor Paul apparently hadn't seen the entire movie growing up and, therefore, didn't know that the little dog in the movie is put down in the end after it caught rabies. I guess it really hit home with him since he IS a wolf- poor guy. He was trying so hard not to cry but he didn't succeed very well (not that I could keep myself from tearing up a little bit myself). "So, where are we going for dinner?" I asked, trying to change the topic and lighten the mood a little bit.

"Well I WAS thinking La Bella Italia but apparently doucheward took you there so I'm not really sure… What kind of food are you up for tonight?" He asked, opening my door for me and gently helping me into the car before running around back to his side.

"I could go for a burger or something," I told him when he had jumped in beside me, helping settle my booted foot into a comfortable position before reaching back and fastening my seatbelt.

"Burgers sound good, I know just the place," Paul said, backing out of the parking space and driving a few miles before stopping in the middle of the street at a shady looking building with a few broken down cars out front. I thought maybe Paul had stopped to check his phone for directions or something but he completely surprised me when he jumped out of the car and came to open my door for me.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking around skeptically as Paul helped me to my feet.

"We are at Mama Ruth's Burger House, home of the best damn burger you will ever have," Paul said, leading me to what looked like a run down building.

"Are you sure? We could just stop at a Burger King or something…" I said, not really sure if I even wanted to go inside this place let alone eat here. I honestly thought I might get lead poisoning or something even being here.

"Chill out Bells, would I take you somewhere you wouldn't like? Or someplace I knew you wouldn't be safe?"

"I don't know," I said warily, glancing at the building with what I'm sure was more than a little disgust.

"Trust me," Paul said, opening a door and revealing a beautifully decorated little restaurant. The outside of the building was absolutely deceiving; I never expected to see what looked to be a classy restaurant inside of this crumbling building. The dark mahogany tables and the smoky interior made the small restaurant seem more intimate, though the dim lighting and the candles on the tables helped more than a little. There was a little stage near the back where a beautiful older woman with her guitar serenaded the few people enjoying a meal in the private little setting.

"Just two?" A waiter said, appearing in front of us from seemingly nowhere and picking up a few menus.

"Yup, just the two of us. We would like a booth it that's possible," Paul said, placing a hand on my lower back to help lead me to the table that the waiter had placed our menus down on. I sat in the booth facing the musician while Paul walked to the other side and scooted in beside me, helping me out of my sling and then out of my coat like the gentleman he apparently was. I had just leaned forward to get the jacket off my other arm when the waiter came back with a couple glasses of water and a basket of breadsticks. "Is there anything I can get you guys?" The waiter asked, staring pointedly down the front of my dress.

"I think we're going to need a minute," I said to the waiter, placing my hand on Paul's thigh under the table when I saw that he was beginning to physically shake in rage.

"Please let me know if there's anything you need- and I do mean anything," The waiter said with a wink before disappearing into the kitchen in the back of the restaurant.

"I really don't like that guy," Paul growled in my ear, his shaking beginning to slow until it was barely noticeable anymore.

"Don't let him bother you, he's harmless," I told him, blushing a little bit under the close scrutiny that my date was giving me.

"Just because you're not into him doesn't mean that I'm ok with him looking at you like that…"

"Please don't let that guy ruin our night, I'm having such a good time with you tonight."

"Oh yeah?" Paul said with a smirk, glancing down at my hand that was still placed on his thigh. Blushing, I quickly pulled my hand back as Paul chuckled at me. "You could have left it there."

"Ha ha," I said sarcastically, picking up my menu and looking it over a few times. "What do you suggest?"

"I love their bacon smokehouse double burger with a side of onion rings and a chocolate malt- but I think that would be a bit too much for you," Paul said, looking at the menu over my shoulder. The burger he had picked out sounded like a heart attack on a plate, something I was not quite looking forward to having tonight.

"The chocolate malt and onion rings sound good, but I think I'm going for the honey mustard chicken sandwich instead of the two pounds of meat you're planning on eating," I told him, folding my menu and placing it back on the table. It wasn't long before our waiter came rushing over, notepad in hand, and took our order. John, the waiter, returned to the table soon after placing our order with the kitchen with our milkshakes and a refill for our water glasses. John continued to try his hardest to look down the front of my dress for the next few minutes, not noticing Paul who was becoming more angry with each passing moment. Paul, who apparently couldn't take it anymore, eventually let out a vicious growl that completely frightened the waiter, causing him to spill the water from the pitcher all over the table and, subsequently, down the front of my white dress.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry," the John said, grabbing for a spare napkin and patting awkwardly at the water stain on the upper part of my white dress. John 'helping' dry me off was the last straw for Paul who was up and shaking uncontrollably.

"Get your hands off of my girlfriend right now! I'm going to need to talk to your manager," Paul said, standing up and draping his leather jacket over my shoulders, making sure to completely cover my now transparent outfit.

"Paul it's not a big deal, it was an accident…"

"It was absolutely not an accident! He has been staring at your chest all night!" Paul practically shouted, catching the attention of all the diners and waitstaff in the restaurant.

"Is there a problem sir?" A plump, red-faced woman said as she rushed towards us from the kitchen and used her dirty apron to wipe off some of the soot that was covering her hands.

"Yes Ma'am, there is a huge problem. This waiter has been sexually harassing my girlfriend all night- he even poured a pitcher of water on her and then began to grope her! It is absolutely unacceptable and I won't let him get away with disrespecting her like that!" Paul yelled, making a huge scene.

"It's all right Paul, it was just an accident," I said, grabbing his shaking arm and the hand that had balled into a fist at his side.

Paul yanked his shaking arm away from me and glared at the cowering employee. "My date deserves an apology and I demand a new waiter."

"I am so sorry Miss, please accept our most sincere apology. I promise nothing like this will ever happen again," the woman said to me, looking between Paul and John with a worried look on her face.

"What about that guy?" Paul growled out, glaring daggers at poor cowering John.

"I will absolutely be speaking with John later tonight sir," the woman said nervously, looking a bit scared.

"That's not good enough!" Paul seethed, beginning to shake violently.

"Paul! Calm down!" I hissed, looking around at the crowd that had gathered around us and feeling increasingly uncomfortable with all of the unwanted attention and the looks that we were getting.

"I can't let this boy get away with disrespecting you! You deserve so much better than that!" Paul yelled, making a move toward poor John.

"Do I need to call the police?" One of the employees said, peeking their head out of the kitchen and watching the scene anxiously.

"Do we?" The chef asked, giving Paul a look that said 'settle down or get out'. Paul, barely holding on to his anger, turned and stormed out of the restaurant.

When the front door of the restaurant slammed closed the entire restaurant went quiet, everyone was looking between the employees and I to see what would happen next. "I am so sorry, Paul has some real anger issues that he's trying to work out," I explained, grabbing for my things in the booth and stepping out to follow the angry wolf.

"Ma'am, if that man is hurting you I can still call the police," the woman said, looking in horror at my walking cast and the arm sling that I was holding.

"Oh no, this is because I'm clumsy!" I tried to reassure her, shrugging into my jacket and slowly backing away from the group of people staring at me.

"Miss, if you are covering for him I can promise that…."

"I promise, Paul would never do anything to hurt me. I'm sorry about all of this," I said, heading out the door and leaving the entire restaurant a bit shocked and horrified behind me. When I got outside I bypassed the car completely and instead followed the trail of clothing Paul had left in his wake. I made sure to pick up each piece of clothing that lead to the the little wooded area behind the building where I knew Paul had disappeared to. I had stepped maybe three feet into the wooded area before I came face to face with the snarling silver wolf I had grown to know and love. I slowly reached out a hand and watched as Paul hung his head in shame, tail falling between his legs pitifully. I could feel the anger and adrenaline draining from my body as Paul, in his own strange way, apologized to me. "I appreciate you wanting to stick up for me, but you can't wolf out on someone for spilling a glass of water on me. That poor guy was about to pee himself he was so scared of you."

The Paul gave me a toothy grin and a bit of a wolfie chuckle, leaning forward and nuzzling my hand. "It's not funny!" I insisted, though I wasn't able to keep the beginning of a smile off of my face. "I'm serious Paul, you can't lose it every time a guy so much as looks at me in a way that you don't like. If I have to deal with girls like the ticket girl then you have to accept that there will be a guy or two that may want to flirt with me too. You are the only guy I want, there's no need to be jealous of anyone else."

Paul crept closer to me, giving my cheek a playful lick and nuzzling his face into my neck. "Alright, alright! Put your clothes back on," I said jokingly, pressing the pile of things I had collected into the side of his body. We stayed like this for a minute or two, the pair of us needing a few minutes to calm down before we really talked about what had just happened when suddenly Paul's stance became rigid and all of the hair on his back began to stand on end. Letting out a low, vicious growl, Paul slowly turned his head towards the forest. It didn't take him long to creep to a low, crouched position and stand protectively in front of me. Something was coming and, even though I didn't know what it was, I was more than a little scared. It wasn't long before the last person I ever expected stepped out of the darkness and into the light.

**Love it? Hate it? Review for a sneak peek of chapter 24!**


	25. Chapter 24

Hello fabulous readers! I know I have been MIA for a long time and I really have no reason for it other than being uninspired. I know, I suck. Between school drama, boy drama, friend and family drama and everything else going on in my life I haven't just taken the time to sit down and write this out (which I know sucks for y'all cause I left off on a cliffhanger… Sorry about that!)

**So here it finally is: Chapter 24. I hope it lives up to expectations! I want to give a special Thank You to all of my fabulous reviewers: Gothic Saku-chan, Notlad09, Ladyelmo323, o.0 rosa 0.o, BellaBooBoo, twimama77, Mika the Dark Princess, MarionV, Chocolatelover1999, Melody-Rose-20, Granny Wolf, Serinity Clearwater, tammielou, Mayan Calendar, Chrome, OrionRedde, Gracefully, Janmary, 1241070, ffranco1985, Les Reves Doux, MysticPixie279, Faithfully, agirlwhoneedssomeone8, Pizzahut, mrs-n315, MiMiSassyGurl, Vane3131, , turtlebrit, awesomeami316, mizz-sunshin3, blueguju, beth626, alyssamcgrath, daydreamer0001, twilightlover212, Jessica Lahote Black, Alice, Logan, Leppy99, Ninja Star Light, RaivynBlack, TishPhoenix, Beautiful Evil and everyone that reviewed as a guest. You guys are my favorites ever!**

**Previously on When Darkness Turns To Light:**

I had stepped maybe three feet into the wooded area before I came face to face with the snarling silver wolf I had grown to know and love. I slowly reached out a hand and watched as Paul hung his head in shame, tail falling between his legs in shame. I could feel the anger and adrenaline draining from my body as Paul, in his own strange way, apologized to me. "I appreciate you wanting to stick up for me, but you can't wolf out on someone for spilling a glass of water on me. That poor guy was about to pee himself he was so scared of you."

The Paul gave me a toothy grin and gave a bit of a wolfie chuckle, leaning forward and nuzzling my hand. "It's not funny!" I insisted, though I wasn't able to keep the beginning of a smile off of my face. "I'm serious Paul, you can't lose it every time a guy so much as looks at me in a way that you don't like. If I have to deal with girls like the ticket girl then you have to accept that there will be a guy or two that does the same to me. You are the only guy I want, there's no need to be jealous of anyone else."

Paul crept closer to me, giving my face a playful lick and nuzzling his face into my neck. "Alright, alright! Put your clothes back on," I said jokingly, pressing the pile of things I had collected into the side of his body. We stayed like this for a minute or two, the two of us needing a few minutes to calm down before really having to talk about what had just happened when suddenly Paul's stance became rigid and all of the hair on his back began to stand on end. Letting out a low, vicious growl, Paul slowly turned his head towards the forest. It didn't take him long to creep to a low, crouched position in front of me and stand protectively in front of me. Something was coming and, even though I didn't know what it was, I was more than a little scared. It wasn't long before the last person I ever expected stepped out of the darkness and into the light.

**Chapter 24**

"What the hell are you two doing here? Don't you know how dangerous Port Angeles is for you right now? Are you TRYING to get yourself killed?" An angry person shouted, the voice hitting notes I didn't think it was possible for a human to hit.

"We weren't doing anything wrong, we were just here for a dinner date after our movie," I said, giving the shadowy figure a curious look. "I don't really know what the big deal is..."

"A date wouldn't have BEEN a big deal if you had just answered your phone one of the twenty times that I called you," Alice huffed, stepping through the crinkly underbrush and into my line of vision. Paul let out a deep growl when Alice got a bit too close but one quick death glare and he stayed silent, purposely stepping between us.

"Is there something wrong Alice? Is someone hurt?" I asked, beginning to panic a bit as possible scenarios flashed through my mind, each one worse than the last.

"That's what I came to prevent. I'm not sure what happened, all I saw was flashes of you sitting alone and hurt in a restaurant..." She said, staring accusingly at the enormous wolf standing beside me. "People were yelling and it was complete chaos, I came as soon as I figured out where you were."

"How did you get to the city so quickly? Forks is a few hours away..."

"I had personal business in the city tonight. I also came for a little retail therapy since I was here already. None of that really matters as long as you are safe- though I am not fully convinced that you are..." She said, casting a wary glance at the angry werewolf that was glaring at her, back fir raised in anger.

Paul let out a visions snarl, crouching like he was getting ready to pounce on the tiny pixie-like woman before us.

"There's nothing to worry about Alice, there was just a bit of a scuffle at the restaurant. No one was hurt and everything is fine now," I assured her, stroking the fur behind Paul's ear in hopes of calming him down once again. "You didn't have to come, we are perfectly ok. Besides, if anything had happened I know Paul could have protected me."

Alice rolled her eyes at that before a few unreadable emotions flickered across her face. Before I could decipher them they were gone and Alice was back to her bubbly, cheery self.

"Do you really think I would have left you in town all on your own? Especially when I thought you were in trouble? Of course I had to come!"

Paul let out a slight growl from beside me, baring his teeth at the petite vampire that was (perhaps unintentionally) getting under his skin.

"Thanks for checking in on us Alice. Sorry that I didn't hear my phone, I could have saved you the trouble of coming down here…"

"It's fine. I would have regretted not coming to protect you if something HAD happened. Better safe than sorry, right? Anyway, since you two seem to be ok I'm going to head back home; I have some things I need to do before training tomorrow and it would be best if I did them as soon as possible."

"Uh… Ok? See you tomorrow then," I murmured as Alice stepped back into the shadows she had just appeared from, disappearing before my eyes could register that she had left. "Well that was weird…" I mumbled, pulling my jacket more tightly around myself as I slowly scanned the forest for any other possible interruptions. Paul stayed rigid for a little longer, looking at the trees that Alice had just disappeared behind before grabbing his clothes in his mouth and quickly phasing.

Blushing, I turned my eyes away as he pulled his jeans on. "I think we should head home, there's something about these woods that just isn't sitting right with me. I don't know the area too well and that worries me," he said, throwing his shirt on his shoulder and gently leading me back to the semi-well lit street that we had parked the car on.

After helping me into my seat Paul jogged around the front of the car and let himself in, barely having time to buckle his seatbelt before he had floored the gas petal and peeled away into the night. The drive home was uncomfortable in a way that was night and day difference from our drive into the city. Gone were the nervous fluttering butterflies that I had experienced on our way to the theater and in it's place was dread and worry for some reason that I couldn't for the life of me put my finger on. Paul muttered to himself the entire drive, tapping restlessly on the steering wheel and letting out groans of frustration every time we were stuck driving behind a car that seemed to be going slower than he thought we should be driving.

After what seemed like forever we were pulling up to the Clearwater-Swan house and Paul was helping me to the door. "I am so sorry about our date, nothing tonight went the way I had hoped that it would," Paul said uncomfortably, shifting from one foot to another and glancing over his shoulder like he half expected someone to be following him.

"It's ok Paul, I had a nice time," I said, standing on my tiptoes and brushing my lips against his in a quick peck.

"You don't have to lie to me, I know it wasn't great. I promise I'll make it up to you baby- but right now I need to go talk to Sam. I'll be back in a little while, ok?"

"Sure. I'll see you then," I said, fiddling with my keys before finding the one that unlocked the front door. I let myself in and turned to wave goodbye to my boyfriend but he had already disappeared somewhere into the night. Why are people always disappearing on me like that?

I turned to put my bag on the side table when my stomach let out a huge grumble. "Bella! Did you just get back from a date? Didn't Paul feed you?" A voice said from behind me, making me jump out of my skin.

"Emmett! What are you doing here?" I asked, turning to see the big oaf sitting in the living room with Seth and playing some game on the Xbox that involved shooting people and a lot of noise.

"I came to hang out with my pranking protégé," Emmett said, ruffling Seth's hair before looking back to the screen and continuing the game. "Why are you home so early? If I had known my favorite danger magnet was on her way back I would have made the human vacuum save you a slice of pizza."

I sat on the arm of the couch and looked between the two, extremely happy at their surprising new friendship. "I can see that you are playing video games Emmy-bear, I just don't know how you are here…"

"Well you see Bella, millions of years ago God created…"

"Haha, very funny. I MEANT what are you doing on the reservation? I thought vampires weren't allowed on the reservation."

"Well you aren't wrong," Emmett said, pausing the game and turning towards me.

"Actually I've been wondering that too. For someone that's not supposed to be on the reservation you sure have been doing a lot of pranking…. Sam is STILL pissed about you gluing all of his doors, drawers and windows shut," Seth laughed, grabbing for the bottle of soda sitting on the coffee table and drinking strait from the bottle.

Well, since Bella is a danger magnet, the pack needs all the help they can get protecting her. Therefore, as long as we Cullens are here to protect our dear damsel in distress I am welcome on your land. Dope, right? I feel some serious pranks coming on while I still have the chance," Emmett smirked, high fiving Seth before the two of them turned back towards the game.

The game had only been back on about a minute before both boys sat up, staring towards the front door.

"Should we…?"

"I think we better," Seth said, dropping the controller and getting up from his spot mid-game.

"What is happening?" I asked, confused as to their random synchronized reaction to whatever it was that they had just heard.

"Duty calls Bells, stay here and do not answer the door," Emmett said, diving me a look that said I had better obey.

"Ok DAD," I said, rolling my eyes and heading towards the kitchen.

"Serious Bells, this could be dangerous and no one wants you to get hurt. I'm not leaving here until you tell me that you promise," he said, arms crossed across his chest.

"Fine, fine. I promise I won't leave the house," I said, heading to the kitchen to appease my grumbling stomach. When I looked up both boys were gone and I found myself utterly alone. I grabbed the cold cuts and threw together a quick sandwich to go with my glass of milk before setting up my plate and cup on the kitchen table where I had left my weathered copy or Pride and Prejudice sitting earlier that morning. I flipped open the page to where I had left off and was just getting into it when I heard a noise coming from the front of the house.

It sounded like someone was wiggling the door handle, trying to find a way inside. Then there were three loud bangs as the doorknob continued to shake. Cautiously I got to my feet and stealthily made my way to the door, trying my hardest not to make a sound until I could peek through the view hole and see who was making all of the ruckus. To my surprise there was no one on the other side of the door, just a darkening street and the lone light pole down the block.

Shrugging, I turned to head back to the kitchen when I heard a deafening crash.

**Love it? Hate it? Review for a sneak peek of chapter 25!**


	26. Chapter 25

**Hello fabulous readers! Thank you so much for sticking with When Darkness Turns to Light- even though I have been MIA for what seems like forever. But, as you can see, I am back to my regularly scheduled updates for Darkness. I am still way behind on Winner Takes All but I hope to update that as soon as I possibly can! Anyway, I hope y'all love this chapter. It was really fun to write!**

**I want to give a special thank you to my fabulous reviewers: Blueguju, MarionV, Notlad09, mouginae, Chrome, Dottyanne, Ladyelmo323, Narutogirl17, Nonita, Twilightlover212, Serenity Clearwater, Ihatemona, Beautiful Evil, o.0 rosa o.0, SassYNoleS, TheFlameTamer, natashar, twimama77, snowqueen26, Gothic Saku-chan, lovefreely02, Zoe123, Melody-Rose-20, Cailley Rachelle, Veronique24, My Eyes Are Watching Everyone, hateme101, FallenFeline, Kayla Boo, Alisiag75, turtlebrit, MiMiSassyGurl, and everyone that reviewed as a guest- you guys are my favorites ever!**

**Previously on WDTTL:**

I grabbed the cold cuts and threw together a quick sandwich to go with my glass of milk before setting up my plate and cup on the kitchen table where I had left my weathered copy or Pride and Prejudice sitting earlier that morning. I flipped open the page to where I had left off and was just getting into it when I heard a noise coming from the front of the house.

It sounded like someone was wiggling the door handle, trying to find a way inside. Then there were three loud bangs as the doorknob continued to shake. Cautiously I got to my feet and stealthily made my way to the door, trying my hardest not to make a sound until I could peek through the view hole and see who was making all of the ruckus. To my surprise there was no one on the other side of the door, just a darkening street and the lone light pole down the block.

Shrugging, I turned to head back to the kitchen when I heard a deafening crash.

**Chapter 25:**

I could hear the shards of glass from what must have been the broken window hit the floor as someone jumped through it. After a moment of silence I heard the glass begin to crinkle- almost as if someone was walking on it. It couldn't have been human, no human that I know could throw themselves through a glass window without injuring themselves at least a little. No, this had to be someone supernatural and if they weren't using the front door then they must not be here for a pleasant chat…

My survival instincts kicked in and I lunged for the stairs, running as fast as I could away from the person or thing that had just broken in.

"Uh uh uh Bella, where do you think you're going?" A familiar voice said coldly from the top of the stairs.

"Alice? Alice! What are you doing? We need to go, someone just broke in…"

"She knows that _Isabella_," a voice spat from behind me. "She's the one that helped me find you…"

"What? Alice, what's going on?" I asked, unable to tear my eyes away from my friend who was unhappily sneering at me.

"I'm here to take you to Victoria. Mona here is going to make sure that no one follows us until it's too late for you."

"Mona? Mona from school? The girl that died?" I asked, turning and looking around the room until I came face to face with… Myself? "What is happening? Who are you?"

"What, you don't recognize me? No, I guess you wouldn't. I have changed a bit," the girl who looked exactly like I did said to me with an almost evil looking smile on her face.

"What….? How…?

"Not now Bella, you'll find out in due time. Now," Alice said, yanking me none too gently into her arms, "it's time for you to leave La Push. For good."

"You'll never get away with this! My imprint will KNOW you aren't me…" I said in a panic, struggling in vain to escape Alice's death grip

"Oh my god- just shut up Bella, I'm so tired of you _always TALKING_," Alice said before roughly hitting me on the back of the head. The last thing I saw was the smug smile on the girl that looked exactly like me before the whole world faded into black.

**Paul POV-**

I threw the car in park as soon as I pulled up to Sam's house and quickly ran as fast as I could to the front door. I didn't even bother knocking on the front door, I knew there was something wrong and Sam needed to know.

"Paul? Paul, are you ok? What's wrong?" A surprised Emily asked, scrambling up from her spot on the couch next to Sam.

"I really need to talk to Sam, Emily. It's important," I said, meeting Sam's gaze and motioning with my head that we needed to outside.

Sam placed a gentle kiss on Emily's forehead before detangling himself from his soon to be wife and meeting my by the front door. He followed me into the forest behind the house before finally asking, "What is so important, Paul? It couldn't have waited?"

"No, it really can't wait. You need to phase with me, it'll be better if I just show you…"

"Show me what?" He asked, stripping out of his clothes and leveling me with a hard glare.

"I need to show you what happened tonight on my date with Bella," I said gruffly, stepping out of my pants and quickly phasing. I looked up at my pack leader expectantly but he just rolled his eyes at me, shrugging out of his final piece of clothing.

"I swear to god Paul, if you pulled me out here to show me something dirty the two of you did in the back seat of your car or something…" Sam said, getting cut off by the vicious snarls that Paul couldn't control. Rolling his eyes, Sam leaped forward, phasing in midair and turning back towards his unsettled second in command.

"_Is everything ok guys? What's wrong?" _Embry asked from his spot on patrol miles away from where the two leaders of the pack had recently phased.

"_What's this all about Paul? What was so important," _Sam asked, unamused at what he thought might have been another of Emmett Cullen's pranks.

_"You know Bella and I had a date in the city tonight, right?"_

_ "Oh yeah! How did that go," Embry asked, not quite getting that this wasn't purely a social outing for the back brothers. _

_ "Terrible. People were pissing me off all night, I even stormed out of the restaurant and phased in the woods nearby when I couldn't handle it anymore…"_

_ "Did someone see you phase, Paul? Is that what this is all about?" _Sam growled, glaring down at me from a few feet away.

_ "No. When I was in the forest Bella followed me. Apparently Pixie Cullen 'happened' to be in the city and found us. She clamed to be scared that I had hurt my imprint or something…"_

_ "Why would she think that? You could never hurt Bella," _Embry said, confusion leeching into my thoughts.

_ "Of COURSE I would never hurt my imprint!"_

_ "Embry and I know that Paul. So Alice Cullen followed you into the city? Is that what has you all shaken up?"_

_ "That's not it Sam," _I said, beginning to pace the forest floor before me as I felt myself becoming more and more agitated by the unending disruptions._ "She said she had business in the city and 'happened' to get a vision. That's not the weird thing though- she smelled like vampires."_

Sam chuckled, rolling his eyes at me._ "Of course she would smell like vampires, she's living with the soldier and the trouble maker in their house right now…"_

_ "You don't think I know what those two smell like? No, that chick smelt exactly like the vampire we have been tracking. I don't think Alice is on our side- I'm pretty sure she is working with the enemy," _I said, replaying the entire encounter for them in my mind for the two shocked werewolves in my head.

Before I had even finished showing them all that had happened Sam threw his head back and let out a piercing howl, calling all of the pack members to join us in the forest to spread the news of what had happened. One by one the pack members phased, filling my head with a dozen confused and worried voices of my pack brothers.

_"Paul you need to get to the Clearwater house right now and protect Bella. If what you just told me is true then Alice knows you found her out and chances are she won't hesitate to grab Bella now that the pack is all together and she is unprotected," _Sam snapped at me, nudging me with his nose to go get my girl.

Sam didn't have to tell me twice: I ignored the shouting of my pack in my head as I pushed myself as fast as I could go in the direction of the Clearwater house. I was maybe 100 yards away from the house when I picked up a sickly sweet scent from the forest. Letting out a strangled growl I made a quick lap around the house, stopping dead in my tracks when I came to the shattered window. I cautiously stepped forward, trying to avoid the broken shards of glass that littered the ground outside the house.

After moments of searching for a clear way in I finally felt like I couldn't wait any longer and leapt in through the broken window. I didn't care about the shards of glass that were currently cutting into my paw or the blood I felt trickling down my leg, all I cared about was the brunette tied to the chair not far from me.

She was ok! My imprint was ok! I barreled towards her, ripping through the pieces of fabric holding her down with my teeth and nuzzling into her side with my snout. Bella giggled, reaching out for me and wrapping her slightly chilled arms through my overheated fur.

"I knew you would find me," the girl said, placing gentle kisses into my fur and roughly crushing me to her. I was so glad my girl was all right but something seemed… Off. I took a few steps away and phased so I could hold her in my arms, not letting myself think to hard about the overwhelming stench of vampire that filled the room.

"Baby are you ok? What happened, did they hurt you? I should have never left you here by yourself," I said, pulling my sobbing girl into my arms and pressing kisses onto her freezing cold forehead. I held her close to me, listening for her rapid heartbeat and froze in place when I heard nothing but my own heartbeat and our combined heavy breathing. I took another quiet sniff of the woman's hair before it hit me: this was not my imprint. I had been so blinded with joy when I saw that she was alright that I had missed the blatantly obvious signs that screamed vampire.

Before she could even react I grabbed the imposer in my hands, throwing her to the ground and standing over her shivering body, growling at the woman that had tried to trick me. "Who the hell are you and where the hell is my imprint?"

**Love it? Hate it? Review for a sneak peek of chapter 26!**


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